---
title: "Will Wendy’s shakeup right the ship? Is Pizza Hut’s split from Yum a blessing in disguise?"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/32e03804-3919-4267-9ab8-3d2dcd06f357
source: "Nation's Restaurant News"
original_url: https://www.nrn.com/expert-opinions/will-wendy-s-shakeup-right-the-ship-is-pizza-hut-s-split-from-yum-a-blessing-in-disguise-
author: "Jonathan Maze, Sam Oches"
category: "Pizza"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Pizza"
published: 2026-09-03T19:18:44.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:16:18.401Z
image: https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/bltea7aee2fca050a19/blt6f8a0993fc3ed61c/6a8c5b6e43b35a10bbe9aae2/Wendy_s_Shutterstock.jpg?width=720&quality=80&disable=upscale
---

# Will Wendy’s shakeup right the ship? Is Pizza Hut’s split from Yum a blessing in disguise?

**TL;DR:** Wendy's has hired Tariq Hassan as chief marketing and customer growth officer, and Yum Brands has sold its Pizza Hut division to LongRange Capital. The sale excludes Pizza Hut's China business, which was sold to Yum China Holdings.

*By Jonathan Maze, Sam Oches, originally published in Nation's Restaurant News on 2026-09-03. [Read the original](https://www.nrn.com/expert-opinions/will-wendy-s-shakeup-right-the-ship-is-pizza-hut-s-split-from-yum-a-blessing-in-disguise-).*

## Story

In this episode of Quick Bites, Nation's Restaurant News editor-in-chief Sam Oches and Restaurant Business editor-in-chief Jonathan Maze dive into three buzzworthy restaurant stories.

First up: Wendy’s announced that it was hiring Tariq Hassan as chief marketing and customer growth officer, the latest shakeup at the burger chain after hiring Bob Wright to be CEO in May. Can Hassan, who previously served as chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald’s U.S., help Wendy’s reinvest in the affinity guests have for the legacy chain?

Next: Yum Brands’ sale of its Pizza Hut division is official, as LongRange Capital closed on its acquisition of the pizza chain (excluding its China business, which was sold to Yum China Holdings). Will the split help the flailing Pizza Hut business find a fruitful new direction?

Finally: Data from Bank of America shows that independent restaurants may be gaining some sales momentum while chains are stagnant. Does this present warning signs to chain operators?

Join us as we break down the business implications, debate the strategies, and share our hot takes on what these moves mean for the future of the restaurant industry. Stream the video above.

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- McDonald's (company)
- Nation's Restaurant News (publication)
- Wendy's (company)
- Pizza Hut (company)
- Yum Brands (company)
- brand acquisition (topic)
- restaurant sales (topic)
- Bob Wright (person)
- LongRange Capital (investor)
- Yum China (company)
- LongRange Capital acquisition of Pizza Hut (deal)

---
Originally reported by Jonathan Maze, Sam Oches, Nation's Restaurant News (https://www.nrn.com/expert-opinions/will-wendy-s-shakeup-right-the-ship-is-pizza-hut-s-split-from-yum-a-blessing-in-disguise-). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/32e03804-3919-4267-9ab8-3d2dcd06f357).