The orange drink will begin to reappear at select US restaurants this month and will be available nationwide in June. McDonald’s said in a statement that his return was motivated by loud fans on social media who “vehemently asked us to bring him back over the years”.
Hi-C Orange Lavaburst, a non-carbonated drink, was replaced in 2017 by Sprite Tropic Berry, a carbonated drink that was made by Coca-Cola exclusively for the chain. The withdrawal of the beloved drink after about 60 years on McDonald’s menus has generated outrage from angry fans and a petition on Change.org.
McDonalds (MCD) created a special website to track the arrival of the drink. It will be updated weekly and can be used by entering a postal code. Hi-C will join Fanta Orange in McDonald’s soda fountains, making its “legendary orange drink list once again complete,” the company said.
Fast-food chains are constantly competing for money and customer attention, and special offers and customer favorites are a way of trying to cut through the noise. McDonald’s also regularly explores the age-old nostalgia for promotions, as an indication, bringing Hi-C back as it was popular in the 1990s.