Is this why Pizza Hut really decided to ban help-yourself counters in China? To combat the insidious blight of sneaky 'salad stacking'

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 12:15 EST, 29 July 2013 | Updated: 14:54 EST, 29 July 2013

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Several years ago Pizza Hut announced it was removing salad bars from its restaurants in China as part of a menu revamp.

But many believe the real reason behind the change in policy was because crafty Chinese customers were getting around a 'one-trip' rule by creating these incredible towers of salad.

Unlike the comparatively generous British and U.S. Pizza Hut branches, customers in China were told they could only have one trip to fill a single plate at the salad bar.

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Salad stacking: This practice is believed to be the reason Pizza Hut removed salad bars from its restaurants in China

That's your five a day... Crafty Chinese diners came up with the salad towers as a way of getting around the 'one plate' policy

Impressive: Salad stacking fast became a fad, with stackers sharing pictures of their creations on the internet

Stable: Salad engineers would exchange tips online, such as starting off their creations with a strong base of carrots

Magnificent: Salad dressing dribbles down the side of this impressive creation, with a knife held by it to show the scale

The practise is believed to have annoyed Pizza Hut, whose Chinese branches are more akin to upscale restaurants

A proud stacker poses with her creation, which appears to include quite a few blocks of tofu

They wanted their visit to be worth it, and so they devised these ever more complicated salad structures that allowed them to pack the most possible fruit and veg on a single plate.

The practice, known as 'salad stacking', soon became a fad as stackers shared pictures of their efforts online and tried to outdo each other.

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Salad engineers would exchange tips online, such as starting off their creations with a strong base of stiff vegetables like carrots, cucumbers and croutons.

How to: Like any structure, salad towers need a strong foundation - in this case carrots

Building up: This stacker has chosen to layer large chunks of pineapple as he reaches for the restaurant ceiling

Labouring away: Patience and a steady hand are the indispensable attributes of the successful stacker

As the storeys of salad rise, this engineer has chosen to inject variety with what looks like peach in the centre

Grand design: The finished tower tapers in as it rises, like some kind of salad ziggurat

So when Pizza Hut, whose branches in the Far East are more akin to upscale restuarants than cheap and cheerful fast food diners, announced it was removing salad bars from its Chinese restaurants, it was widely believed salad stacking was to blame.

Of course, when people heard of the decision, that only encouraged them to make even more salad towers before they lost their chance, Kotaku reported.

The site added that not all China's Pizza Hut salad bars have been removed, with some still remaining in Beijing branches. Salad stacking, however, is no longer en vogue.

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