A McDonald’s The sandwich with a cult following is making a comeback.
The McRib, seasoned boneless pork smothered in spicy BBQ sauce and topped with chopped onions and pickles, will return to the United States starting November 27.
Its return will be McDonald’s latest weapon, along with its $5 meal deal and the Chicken Big Mac finally coming to the US, in the battle to win back customers in 2024.
The McRib, which has been removed and then added back to American menus dozens of times over the years, polarizes fast food fans. Some love him, but others hate him.
But McDonald’s knows that the McRib draws customers to restaurants and drive-throughs, useful at a time when it is trying to boost sales, which fell in the summer for the first time in years.
President Joe Erlinger had hinted that McRib would return in early summer.
The McRib sandwich will return in 2024. It was first sold in 1982
McDonald’s President Joe Erlinger has been behind new offerings and new products this year, including the $5 meal deal, the Big Arches (a larger burger) and the return of the McRib.
And a McDonald’s source told DailyMail.com on Friday that the McRib will return for four weeks at the end of November.
McDonald’s is also bringing the McRib to UK restaurants, but a month early on October 16.
The McRib, which has been described as the “fast food sandwich that went viral before it existed,” debuted nationally at UCooS in 1982.
It was discontinued in 1985 after poor sales, but then returned in 1989 and was widely available in the US and other countries until 2005.
After that, it was periodically reintroduced until disappearing again in 2012 for eight years. He didn’t return until December 2020, when he returned for a limited time.
At the time, it was an attempt to attract customers after the pandemic left their dining rooms sparsely populated or closed.
The McRib is an elusive prize for fans, who scour the internet for reports of it appearing in limited locations over a short period of time.
In the past, McRib has been credited with attracting customers and boosting sales for the chain.
For example, a ‘farewell tour’ by the cult favorite in November 2022 helped boost sales by double digits.
Bosses said that would be the last time the McRib would be sold. But it also returned in November 2023.
“Bringing back the McRib for a limited time will stimulate some interest and foot traffic for McDonald’s at a time when performance is flagging,” retail expert Neil Saunders, CEO of Global Data, recently told DailyMail.com.
But he explained that McDonald’s only sells it for a limited time, rather than having it as a permanent menu item, since “the increase is usually only temporary.”
It’s not impossible to get a McRib whenever you want, but you need to travel. Germany has long been on the menu all year round. He was returned to Canada in January of this year.
McDonald’s has been working hard to attract customers with lower prices and new products.
In June, McDonald’s launched a $5 meal deal that included a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries and a drink. He recently extended it until December.
Fans rejoiced when McRib returned in 2020 for the first time in eight years.
McRib will return later in 2024
Then in August, the chain announced that an all-new, larger burger called The Big Arch would be coming to the U.S. later this year. He is already in Canada.
It will be the fast food giant’s first permanent new global product since Chicken McNuggets in 1983.
Earlier this week, the chain finally set a date for the Chicken Big Mac to arrive in the United States. It will go on sale starting October 10 after being sold on and off in Europe for years.
McDonald’s has also become a fan favorite. Bagels are returning to breakfast menus. after four years.
Bagels were first introduced at McDonald’s in late 2019, but were soon removed when bosses simplified the menu in spring 2020 during the pandemic.