How This Inelegant Website From A Prominent Pizza Chain Pioneered The Future Of Food Delivery

Prior to the advent of delivery applications, PizzaNet existed.

Credit: Denisk999 / Getty Images

Prior to the emergence of digital services such as delivery applications, users were limited to the traditional method of ordering pizza by telephoning and conversing with a live representative. It was not possible to store credit card information for future orders, necessitating reliance on having sufficient cash available upon the delivery driver's arrival.

To advance to the efficient online ordering techniques we utilize now for immediate pizza delivery, one restaurant had to pioneer innovation, and you should likely express gratitude to a well-known pizza business with nationwide locations for its readiness to experiment.

The inaugural pizza acquired online, and potentially the first item ever purchased on the web, was from Pizza Hut. Specifically, it was a substantial pizza topped with pepperoni, mushrooms, and additional cheese. By visiting pizzahut.com, customers can access PizzaNet, the online ordering platform still available on Pizza Hut’s site, and customize their desired pizza for purchase from select locations in California.

According to Pizza Hut, almost fifty percent of its orders are placed online or via a smartphone application. The habit and the digital systems facilitating numerous contemporary food transactions originated from a singular innovative concept leveraging the internet.

PizzaNet, developed by Pizza Hut, was the inaugural webpage for online pizza ordering. Credit:  Provided by Pizza Hut

The inaugural online ordering mechanism was not straightforward.

Although its minimalist user interface may appear simplistic by contemporary standards, PizzaNet was remarkably advanced for the 1990s. Pizza Hut refrained from commenting on the internal mechanisms and backend development of the webpage; however, accounts from its initial years indicate it resembled a statewide game of telephone.

PizzaNet was initially introduced as a prototype program for California consumers in specific regions of Santa Cruz, as reported by the Los Angeles Times in 1994. Orders at select Pizza Hut stores were submitted over the website and subsequently processed by PizzaNet servers located in Kansas. Each order was communicated to the appropriate restaurant location via telephone and internet, and local Pizza Hut staff verified the order with consumers prior to commencing pizza preparation.

The L.A. Times noted that the approach was not significantly more convenient than just calling your local Pizza Hut. At a period when the internet was largely foreign to the populace, it introduced a novel method for interacting with advanced technology and set a precedent for online ordering.

The assertion that a PizzaNet pizza was the inaugural item ordered online, as claimed by Pizza Hut, is a subject of intense contention. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the inaugural legal transaction is believed to have been a CD of Sting's album "Ten Summoner's Tales," which college student Dan Kohn sold to a friend for approximately $12.

By 2003, the casual dining company had introduced a novel function for patrons via PizzaNet. It facilitated online order scheduling, allowing customers to place pizza orders up to one week in advance.

Pizza Hut also innovated mobile ordering

As cellphones gained prevalence in the 2000s, Pizza Hut adapted their technology for mobile use.

The chain's mobile application was initially launched in 2009, shortly following another advancement in the business. Two years prior, Domino's enhanced their online ordering system with an innovative GPS-enabled Pizza Tracker, which accurately determines the estimated time of arrival for each order. Domino's did not launch a mobile application until 2011, as reported by Forbes.

This was undoubtedly a remarkable period for both ravenous college students and aficionados of mass-produced pizza. Pizza Hut's foray into mobile applications rapidly gained traction among consumers. According to Pizza Hut's statement to QSR Magazine in 2013, mobile sales surged by 4,000% within the initial three years.

Jim Dausch, Pizza Hut's global chief digital and technology officer, elucidates to Food & Wine that the company has a rich legacy of digital innovation, commencing with the introduction of PizzaNet in 1994 and subsequently emerging as one of the pioneers in the industry to provide mobile ordering. “Today, this legacy persists with the recent introduction of Pizza Hut’s innovative Book It! mobile application, aimed at motivating the forthcoming generation of readers and brand enthusiasts.”

To explore previous food technology improvements, we will focus on another popular late-night establishment, Taco Bell. The Tex-Mex brand, established in 1962 and influenced by a nearby Southern Californian restaurant, launched its mobile application in 2014, positioning itself among the pioneering drive-thru companies to venture into mobile ordering.

When ordering for a large group in the future, be grateful — and to Pizza Hut — that you are not articulating your cousin's exceedingly particular request across an unreliable phone connection.