Yum China has opened its 300th Pizza Hut Burger Bar in China, ramping up its push into the country’s fast-growing and increasingly competitive burger market.

The milestone comes less than a year after Pizza Hut China launched the side-by-side Burger Bar format in late last year. Last month, the company said the concept had already expanded to more than 200 outlets in just six months.

“We entered the burger category two years ago with Pizza Dough Burgers, which have been well received by consumers,” said Jeff Kuai, GM of Pizza Hut China. 

“We are now taking the business to the next level through Pizza Hut Burger Bar, while continuously refining the module to meet the diverse needs of our consumers.” 

The format operates alongside existing Pizza Hut restaurants, sharing staff and resources with the parent store while requiring relatively low investment.

Its menu focuses on burgers made with freshly baked pizza dough buns and patties cooked on a hot griddle in an open kitchen. The 300th location, opened in Wuhan, Hubei province, also introduced a limited-edition Crayfish Crispy Lotus Root Cheeseburger inspired by local flavours.

Pizza Hut’s broader burger business, including sales from its existing restaurants and Burger Bar outlets, is expected to generate more than RMB1 billion (US$148.6 million) this year, accounting for around 5 per cent to 6 per cent of Pizza Hut China’s sales.

The expansion comes as burgers become one of China’s hottest fast-food battlegrounds. Budget-conscious consumers, smaller households and rising demand for convenient individual meals are helping drive the category, according to Reuters.

Emergen Research data reported that China’s burger market was valued at an estimated US$18.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at an annual rate of 8.7 per cent through 2035. 

Yum China is now looking beyond burgers to accelerate Pizza Hut’s wider expansion, targeting more than 800 net new store openings in each of 2027 and 2028, up from its previous target of more than 600.