Many in the Perry community were disappointed when they heard news that the Pizza Hut restaurant would close in mid-May, fortunately it will only be a temporary closure as another franchisee plans to move into the location.

The City of Perry is going to help with the transition through an Urban Renewal Loan that was approved at Monday’s City Council meeting. Comes Investments, a second generation Pizza Hut franchisee that currently operates 13 other locations, was awarded a $25,000 loan to assist with the cost of upgrading and improving the restaurant.

City Administrator Butch Niebuhr says being able to keep the chain restaurant in town is a win for Perry.

“It would have been a shame to lose the Pizza Hut.  You know, in today’s age the name brands are hard to get in a town our size.  So it’s hard for us to get the Jimmy Johns and B-Bops and all these, they just won’t come into a town (with a population of) just 7,000 or 8,000.  You need 15,000 to 20,000 to be able to get those to get the volume.  So to keep that Pizza Hut name and that brand, it’s good for Perry to have it.”

Comes will have up to five years to repay the loan at a three percent interest rate.

We’ll wrap up our conversation with Niebuhr on this and other topics covered at Monday’s Council meeting on today’s Let’s Talk Dallas County during the 9am, noon and 5pm hours on AM 1310 KDLS.