THE Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne Story
Dick Freeland, the founder of Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne, started his amazing Pizza Hut journey by accident. Dick began his work life as a proud ironworker in the state of Iowa. After years of work, he and his wife, Deanna, went on a long overdue vacation to the East Coast. To pay off the credit card they used to pay for gas, Dick got a part-time job at Pizza Hut in Iowa. He loved it so much he joined the restaurant’s management team. He worked his way up from RGM, Area Coach, then, part owner of an Iowa franchise. In addition, Dick worked for corporate Pizza Hut in real estate, deciding where to establish new Pizza Hut locations.
Pizza Hut eventually sold to Pepsi Co. and Dick was presented with a conflict of interest. Pizza Hut became public, which put him in a position where he was working for the public company and a franchise at the same time. Dick was offered an executive job at Pizza Hut, but turned it down because he loved being around the stores so much. When he was given a chance to start his own franchise, he looked East on the map of the United States and saw that Fort Wayne, Indiana, was available. During their travels, Dick and Deanna fell in love with Fort Wayne and decided to make it the home of their franchise.
The first Pizza Hut store in Fort Wayne was opened at East State in 1972. In the past 40+ years, Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne has grown to 45+ stores in Indiana, ranging as far south as Fishers and as far west as West Lafayette. Dick and Deanna became a pillar in the Fort Wayne community with their long history of giving. Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne continues that tradition of giving today.