Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the McRib will be back this fall season. Personally, I think they are a gross, messy, cheap sandwich, but that’s not going to stop me from hunting them down every year and gobbling one up. Yes, my standards are very high. No, I don’t swipe right on everyone, just pork sandwiches. HMU if you are coated in cheap BBQ sauce and served with pickles and onions on a bun. But what's with the McRib’s Return?
Wasn’t the McRib already discontinued by McDonald’s?
The sandwiches will be at select locations in November, which might make you think “didn’t the McRib go on a farewell tour in 2022? Why are they back again?” I was a bit shocked to hear the news when it was released, but I always knew in the back of my mind that McDonald’s wouldn’t dare let go of its porky moneymaker. The McRib said to me personally “I always come back…” (Who’s seeing the FNAF movie btw?) The official answer from the representative of McDonald’s said the reason was “not everyone was ready to say goodbye.”
Why does the McRib keep coming back?
That’s a pretty political answer if you ask me, so let’s get into two reasons why the McRib comes and goes the way it does. The first reason is that the McRib becomes available when pork prices are low. This makes sense after all. Why wouldn’t McDonald’s take advantage of the price decrease? The other theory is that it’s a business move, and keeping the McRib scarce is a good way to get PR and business. Making something limited is a good way to make it something to get excited over, almost like what happens with pumpkin spice.
In my opinion, both are correct. That’s why the release dates for the McRib seem random to the average person. It’s the pork prices that dictate the sandwich’s return. Then, the company just hypes the situation up as if there isn’t a greater factor at play. Pork prices must be on the decline right now. From what I remember, the McRib always seems to come back in the fall and winter months, which is tied to some complicated hog math I can’t wrap my head around.