Move over, chicken fries. Burger King’s Yumbo sandwich is back on the menu after being dropped from the line-up in 1974. The fast-food chain expects the hot ham and cheese sandwich to “bring back memories for loyal guests” — guests who are over the age of 40, that is.
What th–?? Anyone know what a “Yumbo” is? pic.twitter.com/4PCVpk6qjj
— valerielego (@valerielego) December 2, 2014
Bloomberg states that the BK’s Yumbo first made its debut in 1968 and was removed from the menu in 1974. The Black Forest ham and melted American cheese sandwich will be priced at a non-retro price of $3.69, but anyone who wants to have a throw-back moment can save a little cash and buy one for a friend — the sandwich will be part of the two-for-$5 menu starting December 2.
Burger King has brought back its 1970s hot ham & cheese sandwich, The Yumbo pic.twitter.com/bUJ3VBJ0Ko — RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) November 30, 2014
The Business Insider states that Burger King is going all-out retro with the return of the Yumbo. The company announced that it isn’t looking for “likes” on Facebook because that’s far too modern. For the first 48-hours of the sandwich’s re-introduction, fans will be able to voice their appreciation on BK’s customer service number, which has been changed to 1-844-BK-YUMBO to celebrate Yumbo’s return.
Retro sandwich? Retired in 1974, the @BurgerKing Yumbo ham-and-cheese is back. “Customers asked for it.” -BK. Really. pic.twitter.com/mvvcEY4Mam
— Richard Dettman (@rwdettman) December 1, 2014
Why is Burger King bringing back the Yumbo? Burger King’s chief marketing officer for North America tells Bloomberg that the hot ham and cheese sandwich is on the menu again because customers asked for it, something he states was “100% driven by the passion of our guests.”
“Our franchisees came to us after years of hearing requests… There is a lot of nostalgia around the brand and these classic sandwiches, and we’re also excited to introduce it to new generations.”
Bringing back menu items from the past seems to be part of Burger King’s current marketing ploy. The Inquisitr previously reported that BK started the retro-menu trend back in August with the return of Chicken Fries . The fries were only missing from the menu for two years, so their comeback doesn’t really qualify as “retro” but the reaction from most fast-food fans was positive.
Spend $200 on chicken fries. #lifegoals #bucketlist pic.twitter.com/b0s09HhGEi
— rebekah. (@Bek3laine) November 19, 2014
While Burger King is stirring up the memories by bringing the Yumbo sandwich back, don’t expect to see all the oldies-but-goodies, like the failed Bull’s-eye Barbecue Burger, return to the menu.
The Business Insider reports that other retired menu items may be placed on the menu in the future, but BK’s Hirschhorn states that the company will “not be doing a steady procession of throw-back sandwiches.”
[Image: SodaHead]
