Pizza Hut is bringing back a fan favorite after a nearly 25-year hiatus.
Beginning February 1, the “Big New Yorker” is once again hitting menus nationwide for a limited time. Despite it being sold for a brief time in 1999, the extra large pizza quickly became a favorite, and fans have been asking for Pizza Hut to bring it back ever since.
The “Big New Yorker” is indeed big: It’s a 16-inch pizza that features six oversized and foldable slices. That’s about 30% bigger than the large-sized pizza currently sold at the chain.
Pizza Hut in a press release describes the “Big New Yorker” as being “inspired by the spirit of New York with an XL pizza that is as big and bold as the city that never sleeps.”
The pizza is topped with marinara sauce, extra cheese and seasoning to “mimic authentic New York pizzeria build,” the chain said. Toppings include double pepperoni or another topping of the customer’s choice with prices beginning at $13.99.
Since its disappearance more than two decades ago, the pizza has developed a cult following online. There’s a Change.org petition begging Pizza Hut to bring it back that has collected nearly 4,000 signatures. “It was the only good pizza that Pizza Hut ever offered,” one signatory pleads. Another adds: “I need this for my soul.”
Pizza is a competitive space, with customers often shifting their preferences depending on deals and new menu items. Fast food chains are finding that tapping into nostalgia is also a winning formula as customers crave familiarity.
Yum Brands, which owns Pizza Hut, said in a recent investor day that the chain is in a midst of a reinvention targeting younger consumers, including updating its app and selling buzzier items. That includes Melts, which are calzone-like individual slices of pizza that have performed well for the chain.
Next earnings will be released on February 8.
