The comeback of Tropical Hut?
A memory in a meal. (Photo from KnowYourMeme and JP Tanyag)
On the afternoon of Independence Day, JP Tanyag walked into his local Tropical Hut branch; he took to Twitter (@dumidyeypee) a photo of his burger-fries-soda combo against a backdrop of empty chairs and empty tables. “Tropical Hut in Escolta, ako lang ang customer nila,” his caption read.
In the same thread, he reminisces about family outings in their Baymart Plaza branch, how the burger joint withstood time and several fast food competitors, and hopefully will continue to survive in the decades to come.
The tweets prompted several Filipinos to order from their nearest branches and satisfy their cravings and curiosity.
The revival of the burger OG
Tropical Hut opened to the public in 1965—the first burger joint of its kind, way before the likes of Jollibee and McDonald’s arrived in the country. It was a cultural reset. Located in almost every major traffic area, it became a landmark for directions, a jeepney stop, where you went for business meetings and first dates, besides being a place to eat.
Over the years, Tropical Hut has receded in popularity, overshadowed by countless competitors. Esquire best captures the phenomenon: that while other food establishments might have their creative takes on dishes and aesthetic feed, one thing that no public relations expert can create out of thin air is nostalgia.
Tropical Hut’s resurgence on social media has much to do with unlocking core memories, a domino effect of netizens reminiscing about their childhood in the burger joint. Others were curious, from generations like my own that had only noticed its lime green facade in passing without ever trying its food. While others were merely hungry.
100% organic
Within hours, the tweet from an unassuming stock analyst gathered a following—7,500 retweets to JP’s original tweet, Tropical Hut’s first Twitter account with 5,300 followers, and its own hashtag #KwentongTropical.
The following Monday afternoon, Tropical Hut called for the patience of its patrons as they were experiencing shortages but grateful for the renewed popularity. Even on fast food delivery apps, there were hours long wait times for Tropical Hut orders. The homegrown fast food chain is reportedly expanding its team, hiring individuals for immediate deployment, while a growing number of netizens are clamoring for provincial branches beyond the Metro.
Tropical Hut is living proof that in the age of clickbait captions and curated social media, no form of marketing is more effective than one with organic reach, from an authentic testimony of a customer.
