From the return of Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza to KFC’s new twist on wraps from a couple of decades ago, ‘90s nostalgia has been fueling Yum Brands’ LTO schedule
You only have to look at the plethora of ‘90s and ‘00s television reboots hitting cable and streaming services to see the hold that Millennium-era nostalgia has over the current cultural zeitgeist. Last year, Taco Bell banked on the power of the reboot (especially with social media buzz) when the quick-service brand brought back Mexican Pizza as an LTO, and then thanks to outcry over product shortages and celebrity influence from Doja Cat, added the ‘90s favorite to the menu permanently.
Although Taco Bell is known for its buzzworthy product callbacks, the quick-service brand is not the only Yum Brands company to do so. In October, KFC brought back an updated version of its chicken Twister wraps after being discontinued for eight years.
Now Pizza Hut is getting in on this strategy with the return of The Big New Yorker Pizza announced Wednesday, which was first introduced in 1999 and retired two decades ago. The 16-inch pizza — topped with extra cheese, sweet marinara sauce, parmesan-oregano topping and double pepperoni — returns Feb. 1 as an LTO and is reminiscent of Pizza Hut’s menu items of the brand’s red roof days, which slowly closed over the years.
