Is The McRib Back? McDonald’s Confirms 2020 Release Date

Starting Dec. 2, McDonald’s McRib is returning to menus nationwide for the first time since 2012.

The limited-time pork sandwich is brought back every year but is notoriously hard to find. McDonald’s even released its own McRib locator app to help customers locate restaurants that sold it.

The fast-food giant brought the McRib to 10,000 of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants last year in its biggest rollout since 2012. The item has been appearing on McDonald’s menus in the U.S. since 1982, helping the chain attract customers to its restaurants during the holiday season.

The nationwide launch this year comes as McDonald’s U.S. sales are rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic. The popularity of the McRib could fuel even higher sales growth, although a resurgence of COVID-19 cases could hinder McDonald’s recovery.

Shares of McDonald’s, which has a market value of $162 billion, have risen 6% so far this year. The stock was down nearly 2% late-morning Friday amid a broader market sell-off.

Alexander Chernev, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management told CNN, "When you have these exclusive products, which exist for a short period of time, it gives people a reason to come to the store."

McDonald's previously hinted at the return after posting a tweet last Friday.

Those behind McDonald’s Twitter account made it known on Friday that they are tired of being asked when the popular menu item will make its next comeback. The company tweeted the quip, “It’s always ‘when is the McRib coming back’ and never ‘how are you doing person who runs the McDonalds account.’”

This, of course, sparked another Twitter frenzy with many asking when the famed sandwich would return.