McDonald’s has never been able to permanently remove its iconic McRib from menus, despite the fact that the company has made numerous attempts to achieve this goal. There have been a number of indications that customers have been receiving recently that the barbecue pork sandwich is being brought back out of retirement, and it is possible that the launch will take place soon.
Featuring a boneless pork patty that has been seasoned, dipped in a tangy barbecue sauce, and served with slivered onions and pickles on a toasted bun, the controversial McRib (520 calories) has been referred to as “gross” by some individuals and “delicious” by others. The product was initially introduced by McDonald’s in 1981, and over the subsequent decades, it was reintroduced on occasion as a limited-time offering.
The sandwich has been technically discontinued at least four times over the course of the years by the fast-food giant, but it has never been discontinued permanently. For example, McDonald’s brought back the McRib for a limited time in select markets during the fall of 2023, just one year after holding a “Farewell Tour” for the McRib in late 2022.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2024 that customers of McDonald’s were given a hint about when the McRib would be available for purchase again on grocery store menus. During a visit to the TODAY show in June, Joe Erlinger, the President of McDonald’s in the United States, disclosed that the sandwich will go back into production “later this year.”
Customers recently received yet another indication that a McRib relaunch may be in the works, despite the fact that he did not disclose any specific details regarding the exact date on which the item will make this highly anticipated return in the year 2024.
On September 20, customers of McDonald’s in the United Kingdom received what appeared to be a test push notification through the app. The notification read “McRib_Test.notification_16.10.24 [TEST],” according to the Manchester Evening News.
With the date “16.10.24” included in the message, fans have speculated that McDonald’s may have sent out the message by accident while they were preparing for an upcoming McRib relaunch in the United Kingdom. This could have occurred sometime around the middle of October, according to the information provided in the message.
Others, on the other hand, suggested that McDonald’s had sent out the alert on purpose, but that they had made it appear as though it was an error in order to generate excitement about the return of the McRib.
One of the users of X posted, “This is such a blatant example of a marketing stunt.”
McDonald’s with the test notification for the McRib that is obviously the result of a fake. Another person asked, “Is it clever marketing or?”
A representative from McDonald’s did not immediately respond to our inquiries regarding the precise date on which the McRib will be available at restaurants in the United States of America this year and whether or not the sandwich will also be making a comeback in the United Kingdom. However, given that there are only a few months left in the year 2024 and that Erlinger made a promise in June that the sandwich will be available again “later this year,” it is highly likely that customers in the United States will not have to wait significantly longer.
Fans are encouraged to keep an eye out for a number of other exciting new arrivals at McDonald’s, such as the return of the Pumpkin and Crème Pie (280 calories) and the introduction of a new Crocs Happy Meal.