The Discontinued Holiday Sandwich Starbucks Customers Want Back On The Menu

Sometimes Starbucks hits the nail on the head with a menu item that is so beloved it earns a permanent home on the menu, even if it's just a promised seasonal spot (we're looking at you, Pumpkin Spice Latte). But other times, the coffee chain serves up items that create a fan base, only to cause heartbreak when they're discontinued. One such favorite is the Holiday Turkey & Stuffing Panini. The lunch offering was basically Thanksgiving in sandwich form, with slices of turkey and cranberry-herb dressing covered in gravy and stuffed between two slices of ciabatta bread.

While the sandwich appears to have had a good run on the seasonal menu, Redditors in the U.S. noticed its absence in 2020. The original poster mentioned that it was missing from the holiday menu in Miami, Florida, and what appeared to be a Starbucks employee confirmed that it was discontinued throughout the country. Some commenters on the thread expressed their disappointment with one saying, "Seriously?!?! Why?? I look forward to this even more than my peppermint mocha." Another thread, also dedicated to discussion about the sandwich, featured even more disappointed fans. One lamented, "I just want to throw out there also how sad this is. I dream about this sandwich."

Some Redditors were enthusiastic about the idea of directly requesting the sandwich's return (which can be done through MyStarbucksIdea.com). Meanwhile, users on Change.org are also petitioning for Starbucks to bring it back and have garnered more than half of the requested 200 signatures.

If you, too, were a fan of the Holiday Turkey & Stuffing Panini from Starbucks, you can easily recreate it at home with store-bought ingredients from a local supermarket. Plus, you can give it your own twist by creating an elevated version of stuffing or using Ina Garten's advice to level up canned cranberry sauce. And if finding freshly cooked turkey is a struggle (and you don't want to cook a whole one), simply replace the turkey with the meat from a rotisserie chicken — just make sure to choose a high quality one.

Don't want to put in all that effort? No problem. There are a few other spots serving up similarly styled sandwiches you can get on the go. Firehouse Subs has a version with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayo on a sub roll while The Bobbie (which won a "Greatest Sandwich in America" award) at Capriotti's checks all the boxes for a handheld Thanksgiving in a roll. Additionally, Wawa has its seasonal Gobbler on the menu. This one ups the ante by layering in mashed potatoes with the other classic ingredients and you can even add cheese or any other condiments. Plus, it can be ordered on a variety of different sized buns, in a wrap, or with double the stuffing, mashed potatoes, or both.