It is astonishing what slightly documentary can do in your soul. In a time stuffed with strife, anger, and a sense of despair, one scrumptious new movie has come alongside at simply the proper time to point out us that something is feasible — one rebuilt Pizza Hut location at a time.
Within the soon-to-be-released documentary, “Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts,” filmmakers Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker monitor down former Pizza Huts which were remodeled into, nicely, absolutely anything and the whole lot — from BBQ spots to hashish retailers, church buildings, and oyster bars.
“These nostalgic areas maintain recollections of a bygone period, however by means of the ability of transformation, they supply one thing new and particular for the communities that proceed to stream by means of them,” the duo said in a reality sheet, including that they hope the movie acts as a “modern portrait of America.”
“As kids of the ’80s and ’90s, Matt and I grew up going to Pizza Hut, so we have now a powerful nostalgic connection to those buildings,” Tucker shared with Meals & Wine. “Seeing them dotted across the U.S. panorama of their numerous reincarnations was fascinating to us.”
And, as Tucker famous, they discovered that they are not alone on this fascination, pointing to Mike Neilson’s weblog, Used To Be A Pizza Hut, which is the unique on-line web site devoted to recognizing “former Pizza Huts” within the wild. ” We have been fortunate sufficient to interview Mike for our movie in considered one of Pittsburgh’s many former Pizza Huts, now working as Kabab King,” Tucker added.
And whereas the movie does level to the endurance of the Pizza Hut model, it is not a easy historical past lesson on America’s third-largest pizza chain — somewhat, it is a take a look at all the probabilities that include rebirth and all the probabilities folks can absorb chasing their model of the American dream, similar to the Carney household did once they opened their first Hut in 1958.
Nevertheless, what is maybe most fascinating is that Salleh and Tucker each grew up in Australia, giving them a singular lens on American tradition from an outsider’s perspective. However do not get it twisted — these two are Pizza Hut lifers, and share the identical magical childhood recollections you possible do too.
“We each grew up in Australia, one of many first nations outdoors the U.S. to get Pizza Huts. In consequence, we had a lot of the similar components, together with the basic buildings with their trapezoidal home windows,” Salleh mentioned. “Within the ’90s, the massive factor in Australia was the All You Can Eat dinner, full with limitless gentle serve ice cream on the dessert bar.”
Courtesy of “Slice of Life”
Tucker added, “My good buddy Mel jogged my memory that to have a good time her birthday one 12 months, our group of buddies dressed up because the Spice Ladies and went to Pizza Hut for lunch. I even have a vivid reminiscence of getting caught in a trance utilizing the gentle serve machine – my dad needed to leap in and switch it off as my leaning tower of ice cream toppled over.”
Of their quest to focus on post-Pizza Hut retailers, the group mentioned they “investigated a whole lot of former Pizza Huts.” And whereas they could not title which one was their favourite, Tucker famous, “Many former Pizza Hut areas are actually immigrant-run eating places, and we knew we needed to signify this in our movie. We have been very fortunate to find Taco Jesús, as they weren’t truly in enterprise after we began capturing the movie. They have been the final location we filmed in after I struck upon a information article asserting their latest opening in Lynchburg, Virginia.”
Two others stand out to Tucker, the Church of our Savior, in Boynton Seaside, Florida, and the Bud Hut, a hashish dispensary in Walsenburg, Colorado.
“Each areas gave us the chance to dive slightly deeper with our storytelling — Church of our Savior is a part of MCC, a gaggle of church buildings that have been initially established as a protected haven for the LGBTQ+ group. And the Bud Hut introduced the chance to debate the impression of the legalization of marijuana in rural communities,” Tucker shared.
Their movie does precisely what the duo is hoping — presents a portrait of America, however one which we have perhaps forgotten. A spot the place folks need to discover connection, goal, and perhaps a great whiff of pizza nonetheless wafting within the air.
“All throughout the nation, there are hard-working people who find themselves creating locations the place the group can collect,” Salleh mentioned. “There’s this concept of the ‘Third Place,’ a spot separate from work and residential the place folks can come collectively. These unbiased companies are nonetheless an vital a part of the American panorama, and you’ll create these locations anyplace — even in a repurposed Pizza Hut constructing.”
The movie is about to debut on streaming in 2025. You possibly can hold monitor of its launch date by following its official Instagram account right here.