McDonald's likes to have fun with its customers, perhaps sometimes turning playful into downright mean.
The chain could be considered playful when in August 2022 it posted a Tweet that simply said "Bring back ____." That led to tens of thousands of people sharing which products they missed.
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Many of the posts were likely at least somewhat in jest. Few people actually want McDonald's MCD Onion Nuggets or Fishy McBites to return. It's also hard to believe that there's a deep fan base for the McDLT as its styrofoam packaging designed to keep the "cool side cool and the hot side hot" now seems hopelessly dated.
This was not an official poll and the chain made no promises, but there were a couple of clear winners. First, thousands of people wanted McDonald's to bring back its Breakfast bagels, especially the steak one.
The chain actually made that happen this year slowly rolling the Breakfast Bagels out nationally. People were very excited to see the bagels back, but McDonald's has not listened on the clear winner of its then-Twitter, now-X, post — the Snack Wrap.
McDonald's (MCD) -) also made light of its customers' love for the Snack Wrap (perhaps crossing over into mean) when Taylor Swift put tickets for her "Eras" tour on sale. The chain Tweeted that it was easier to get one of its beloved (and discontinued in the U.S.) Snack Wraps than it was to get tickets to Swift's tour.
Now, McDonald's has been mean to its fans again. It spent a lot of time last year celebrating the McRib and sending the beloved sandwich on a "Farewell Tour." A fast-food farewell might be as credible as this actually being the Eagles' last tour or the many times Elton John has "retired."
Still, nobody expected that "farewell" would last less than a year and McDonald's has confirmed the return of the McRib even after denying TheStreet's reporting of this exact news in late September.
Image source: McDonald's/TheStreet
Welcome back McDonald's McRib
On Sept. 27, TheStreet reported that McDonald's was bringing back the McRib, based on a news report from the popular Snackolator Instagram page. A McDonald's public relations rep then contacted TheStreet and said that the news report was not true and that Snackolator would be removing the post.
The rep pointed out that the image being used in the post was from 2021. That was, in fact, true about the image — the date was clearly visible, Snackolator's report was correct, something McDonald's later admitted.
"It turns out not everyone was ready to say goodbye to the McRib after last year’s Farewell Tour. While it won’t be available nationwide, some lucky fans may find their favorite elusive saucy sandwich at their local McDonald’s restaurants this November,” the company shared with TheStreet.
That emailed statement came on Sept. 29, two days after the original post which McDonald's had asked TheStreet to take down. The original story was prominently edited to reflect the company's claim that the Snackolator post was not true.
Now, McDonald's is admitting that McRib's retirement was not permanent (despite the farewell tour). The chain has also directed customers to the mcriblocator.com website to see where the sandwich is available.
The McRib, which is made from a seasoned, boneless pork sensation, slathered in tangy barbecue sauce, topped with slivered onions and tart pickles, first appeared on McDonald's menus in 1980.
It has generally been offered on a limited basis which made it a bit of a cult favorite. The fandom around the sandwich was parodied in a 2003 episode of "The Simpsons" where Homer Simpson followed Krusty Burger's "Ribwich" around the country.
