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Pizza Hut has revived its seasonal heart-shaped pizza for Valentine’s Day, this time enlisting Backstreet Boys members Nick Carter and Howie Dorough to front a short campaign. The limited offering — playfully named after the band’s hit — arrives as Yum! Brands prepares to close roughly 250 U.S. restaurants, raising questions about local availability.
Limited run and basic ordering details
The pizza, marketed as the Shape of My Heart‑Shaped Pizza, is on sale for a short window: Feb. 10–22. Customers can buy a medium one‑topping version in-store, through Pizza Hut’s website or via the chain’s app, with prices starting at around $11.99.
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Pizza Hut is leaning into nostalgia by pairing the product with two familiar faces from pop culture. The plug-in aims to reach millennial fans who remember the group’s late‑1990s peak while also driving seasonal traffic for the chain.
What the campaign looks like
The promotional clip features Nick Carter and Howie Dorough posing with the heart pies, trading playful challenges and lighthearted banter — a brief spot designed for social feeds and short‑form video platforms. The content emphasizes fun rather than a formal ad, matching the product’s novelty appeal.
- Availability: Feb. 10–22 (limited time)
- Format: Medium, one‑topping heart‑shaped pizza
- How to order: In-store, online, or via the Pizza Hut app
- Price: Starting at $11.99
- Campaign talent: Nick Carter and Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys
Why this matters now
For shoppers, the promotion is timely: it offers a single‑purchase, shareable item built for Valentine’s plans and social media moments. For Pizza Hut, seasonal novelties like this are low‑risk ways to generate short bursts of sales and attention.
But there’s a bigger backdrop. On Feb. 4, during Yum! Brands’ Q4 2025 earnings call, the parent company announced it will close a significant number of Pizza Hut locations nationwide. The company said about 250 restaurants will be shuttered in the first half of 2026 as part of “targeted closures of underperforming units.”
Where closures could affect customers
Stores slated for closure were not identified publicly, so the impact will vary regionally. If your local Pizza Hut is underperforming, the novelty pizza might not be available nearby — or delivery times and options could be limited as the company adjusts its footprint.
Practical takeaway: check your local store’s menu and inventory early in the promotion window if you want the heart pie for Valentine’s Day.
Broader context
Restaurant chains often use limited‑time items and celebrity tie‑ins to boost short‑term revenue and social engagement. At the same time, corporate restructuring and closures are an indicator of longer‑term realignment in the fast‑food sector as operators optimize for changing customer habits and rising costs.
In short, the heart‑shaped pizza is a seasonal, attention‑grabbing item worth trying for fans of novelty or nostalgia — but availability could be uneven as Pizza Hut navigates store closures in 2026.
