GREGGS fans are gutted after a popular menu item was suddenly withdrawn - and have begged for it to be made permanent.
Katsu chicken bakes returned to the chain in February after they were briefly paused over Christmas to make way for festive bakes.
They were brought back with widespread approval, but fans have since realised they have vanished again - with no promise of a return date.
Shocked punters took to social media to beg for their favourite snack, with one saying on X: "@GreggsOfficial why have you removed the chicken katsu curry bakes from your shops they're the best item on the menu with so much flavour.”
Another added: “Listen up @GreggsOfficial. I know you like to change things up.
"But either the Chicken Katsu Bake stays or I lose my marbles.”
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A third said: “No katsu anymore...not happy chappy.”
The item was a limited edition product, meaning it was always going to be removed, but fans have questioned why it had to disappear so suddenly after coming back.
The much-loved bake appeared in July last year featuring chicken breast covered with katsu curry-style sauce wrapped in a crunchy breadcrumb-coated pastry.
It was known to be hot and spicy, making it a firm favourite with fiery curry fans.
One fan said last month: “Those katsu chicken bakes. DAMN so nice. Spicier than I imagined but it works so well.”
Another added: “I tried one of your Katsu chicken bakes yesterday for the first time & it was delish!!
"The crumb topping was a really nice addition too! Love a Greggs."
The popular chain often shakes up its menu with new innovations and ideas.
On March 20, it launched a new Veggie Feast Pizza, as well as bringing back Piri Piri Chicken Pasta and Tuna Crunch Rolls.
In February, it launched a new chicken burger and wrap to menus as part of its hot made-to-order range.
But the new additions mean that old favourites have to go - like the popular ham salad baguette which the chain recently stopped selling.
Customers were left shocked last month after finding out the item had been dropped from menus.
One said they were "so upset" to be told by staff it had been discontinued.
It comes after Greggs hiked the price of its iconic sausage roll to £1.30 at the start of the year, while some branches saw it rise to £1.55.
Boss Roisin Currie said a number of goods including cups of coffee and steak bakes had also increased in price by between 5p and 10p.
She said: "We are trying to limit the price increases to pennies and protect entry-level prices."
She confirmed that breakfast meal deals, which include a bacon roll and cup of coffee, and pizza evening deals were being kept at £2.85.
“When you look at it from 2022 we faced a number of headwinds, from covid, the energy crisis we were running at peak inflation.”
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“We have a price inflation tracker against our food-to-go peers to ensure that we are still number one for value.”
Greggs was approached for a comment on the Katsu chicken bakes.
Greggs in numbers
Did you know Greggs sausage rolls have 96 layers of pastry?
The first Greggs opened in 1951 on Gosforth High Street.
There are also 2,473 shops around the country — a thousand more than McDonald’s.
Greggs is now valued at £2.6billion thanks to its budget deals.
Nearly £2 in every £100 spent in UK hospitality is done in a Greggs.
Newcastle still remains the sausage roll capital of the UK, with Geordies scoffing 17.9 million of them a year.
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