Ocoee Pizza Hut relocating, remodeling

OCOEE  The Pizza Hut on West Colonial Drive in Ocoee is not only getting a new look — it’s also getting a new location.

After the original building at 10870 W. Colonial Drive was torn down in mid-April, some residents began to question what happened to Pizza Hut.

According to Ocoee permit records, the city issued a permit for demolition of the old Pizza Hut in March. Doug Terfehr, senior director of public relations for Pizza Hut, confirmed the restaurant will be moving into a retail space that once hosted a Verizon store on the same property. It is slated to open this summer.

“The new location is going to be a brand-new design and something we think the community will love,” Terfehr said. “This decision was made to better serve the community and to have a modern Pizza Hut that is equipped to continue to serve great, hot pizza to our customers.”

Terfehr added that customers can expect "an open concept, wrap-around windows and a pick-up/drive-thru."

According to property records, the demolished building was roughly 2,767 square feet and built in 1981. The new location is roughly 2,320 square feet, and records show the city of Ocoee issued a permit in January for commercial alteration and renovation.

As for what will be going in place of the previous Pizza Hut location, records show that the city issued a permit for a Starbucks “alteration” there back in November 2016. The permit type is listed as allowing for new construction, shells and a shell building, although Starbucks has not confirmed plans or announcements for a new location.

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].