Warwick Pizza Hut, Rose City Carvery suddenly close doors

Two busy venues in the town CBD have suddenly and mysteriously closed down within days of each other, leaving Rose City residents with dwindling options and job uncertainty. 

Drama and uncertainty have shrouded Warwick’s Pizza Hut franchise once more, with the popular takeaway joint unexpectedly closing its doors for the second time in as many years.

Controversy first broke out in March last year when the franchisee at the time shut up shop without warning to staff or customers, reportedly leaving hungry residents out of pocket and employees out of work.

Long-time Pizza Hut employee Steven Bateman then stepped in as the new owner in May, telling the Daily News at the time he’d rehired former staff and was looking forward to becoming a part of the Warwick community.

“Family and community are the most important things to me. I can’t wait to share my pizzas with the great families in this town,” he said.

Franchisee Steven Bateman and family at the Warwick Pizza Hut reopening in May last year. Picture: NRM

Now Warwick’s Pizza Hut has again suddenly closed its doors less than two years later, with unconfirmed reports it was due to personal illness.

Neighbouring business owner Raymond Brownlie at Roddie’s Fish and Chips said the closure was so sudden that a drinks vendor turned up to make a delivery the next day.

“As a neighbour I didn’t hear too much information myself, I was only told that it was due to sickness. (Mr Bateman) talked to all of his workers about it personally,” Mr Brownlie said.

“It doesn’t really affect us too much, the only real change for us is everyone comes in to ask us what has happened.

“I imagine Pizza Hut has to send a person in just to be a competitor, so I imagine someone will be there in the next couple of months, but I haven’t heard anything myself.”

A Pizza Hut call centre employee confirmed the venue has shut and been removed from the online store directory, but could not offer more information.

It is unconfirmed at this stage who might take over the franchise and whether they will rehire current employees.

Pizza Hut was contacted for further comment but did not respond by the Daily News’ deadline.

It comes as the popular Rose City Carvery has also closed its doors with little warning.

The busy eatery in the Rose City Shoppingworld food court is now entirely boarded up, with no indication of whether it will return or what might replace it.

It’s not the first time the decades-old business has made a surprise exit from its prominent location, with the Daily News reporting in 2018 that the Rose City Carvery had seemingly shut up shop overnight.