The McRib is returning to menus this holiday season – but don’t get used to it.
McDonald’s announced Wednesday that its famed boneless pork patty sandwich will be available again starting Dec. 3. But, as always, it will only be for a limited time.
And the same goes for another fan-favorite fast food item, Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries, which similarly hasn’t secured a permanent spot on the menu despite its popularity.
McDonald’s is bringing back the fan-favorite McRib sandwich for a limited time starting December 3. A half-gallon jug of McRib sauce will also be available to purchase.
Instead, limited offerings like the McRib or the Nacho Fries disappear and reappear with no seeming pattern. Experts say that’s by design.
Beyond boosting profits, highly anticipated seasonal products like the McRib create excitement among fans and an opportunity for companies to play around with promotions.
On the other hand, a strategically timed rollout could also serve to generate positive news about the brand after bouts of bad press.
“This is the playbook for a lot of (quick service restaurants). Bringing back old favorites like the McRib is one of the tools that they use to drive interest and demand,” said Michael Della Penna, chief strategy officer at marketing and measurement platform InMarket. “It gets people excited about visiting. It gets people nostalgic when they remember the product and want to try it again.”
‘Like if Christmas was every day’
The sandwich is a boneless pork patty, shaped like a rack of ribs and smothered in barbecue sauce then placed on a homestyle bun. Price varies by location.
Basic supply-and-demand economics will tell you that a good chunk of the McRib’s popularity comes from its scarcity.
“Scarcity adds tension and excitement and anticipation,” said Stephen Zagor, an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia Business School specializing in restaurants and food enterprises. He says that if McDonald’s offered the McRib as a permanent menu item, “it would be like if Christmas was every day, and we would get bored with it.”
Nearly 30% of quick-service restaurant customers consider the availability of special promotions or deals when deciding between restaurants, according to research by PYMNTS.com, a financial services company.
Starbucks, for instance, saw average foot traffic for all locations increase by 26% a few days after the arrival of their limited-edition holiday drinks in 2022, according to location analytics company GroundTruth.
David Henkes, a senior principal at food industry research and consulting firm Technomic, said that building customer anticipation for the slim window of time that an item is available is much more profitable than keeping it on the menu permanently and seeing weak sales over the whole year.
“If it was something that was on the menu year-round, I think it would be one of those products that would probably be toward the lower end of McDonald’s menu items,” he said.
Plus, history has not always been so kind to the sandwich. The McRib flopped when it debuted in Kansas City in 1981 and was pulled from menus just four years later. But since then, it has become a favorite among McDonald’s loyalists.
Unlike other limited-time products like McDonald’s own pumpkin spice latte and its Shamrock Shake, the McRib is not tied to a specific season or holiday and does not have a fixed spot on the consumption calendar.
Essentially, consumers don’t know when it will show up next — and that element of surprise also drives demand.
“It creates this sense of urgency that you have to get it now because you don’t know when it’s coming back. You don’t know if it’s coming back,” Henkes said. “Whereas for the pumpkin spice latte, you know it’s coming back every fall.”
Beyond that, Henkes says that McDonald’s decision to keep the McRib as a limited-time offer is part of a broader trend of businesses focusing on their primary products and cutting back on their total offerings to boost profit.
Starbucks, for instance, nixed their “Oleato” drink lineup this month as part of the chain’s broader plans to simplify a menu that CEO Brian Niccol called “overly complex.”
Stoking hype
It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that the McRib commands a cult following. It has spawned dozens of Facebook groups, a Reddit forum and even a website dedicated to tracking down sightings of the elusive sandwich across the globe.
It’s so popular that the McDonald’s website listed “Why isn’t the McRib sold year-round?” as a frequently asked question. (“We like to change up our menu throughout the year by offering some limited time only items.”)
Zagor said that McDonald’s standard products — burgers, fries and the like — have all become commoditized. The McRib exists to shake up a familiar lineup.
“To energize their fan base, they create products that become legendary. The McRib is one of them. It has become a legend in its own time,” he said.
McDonald’s has based entire campaigns around the McRib before. When it was released in 2022, the company rolled out a line of McRib-themed merchandise as part of the sandwich’s “farewell tour.” (Spoiler: The McRib came back the next year.) This year, the McRib’s comeback includes the launch of a half-gallon jug of McRib sauce for fans to purchase.
Henkes added that it’s also part of McDonald’s strategy to generate good press about itself after visits to locations plunged following an E. coli outbreak that left dozens of people sick. He described the marketing ploy as a reset that lets McDonald’s start on a clean slate with customers.
“Bringing out one of these fan favorite items puts a more positive spin on what the public is seeing and hearing from McDonald’s,” he said.
The 10 Healthiest (and Unhealthiest) Fast Food Sandwiches in America
The 10 Healthiest (and Unhealthiest) Fast Food Sandwiches in America
Updated
One of the most effective ways to manage your weight and health is to eat a nutritious diet with whole foods.
But even as you build healthy eating habits, you may find yourself in need of a quick meal when you're on a tight schedule.
Hers took a look at the nutrition facts of sandwiches, including burgers, at 10 of the largest fast food chains in the country to discover the healthiest (and unhealthiest) options to help you make mindful choices when you're on the go.
Fast food restaurants may not always have the most nutritious options (most fast food is considered ultraprocessed, which typically leaves you feeling less full), but if you're looking for a sandwich on the healthier side, focus on menu items that are high in protein and low in trans fat, net carbs, and calories.
- Calories: Whether you're trying to lose weight with a calorie deficit or maintain your weight with a steady caloric intake, the number of calories in a fast food sandwich can vary a lot depending on size and ingredients.
- Protein: Protein has been shown to reduce both body weight and fat mass. So even if you're heading to the drive-thru, a protein-rich sandwich can help keep you feeling full while also helping you achieve your health goals.
- Trans fat: Trans fat is not a nutritional necessity, but it is frequently found in processed foods. Trans fat can cause weight gain and increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- Net carbs: Limiting refined carbohydrates, like in the Mediterranean diet, may help with weight loss, but the impact of carbs is reduced with food that contains fiber; subtracting the amount of fiber from the total carbs gives you net carbs.
Key Findings
- The healthiest fast food sandwich is the Sourdough Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich from Jack in the Box.
- The unhealthiest sandwich is the Big Fish from Burger King, primarily because of a relatively low protein content and high carb content.
- Firehouse Subs and Chick-fil-A each hold three of the top 10 healthiest sandwiches.
- Four Burger King sandwiches show up on the unhealthiest list.
- Top-ranking healthy sandwiches included chicken or turkey rather than burgers, providing a good source of protein without too many calories that may help support a weight loss journey.
- Grilled chicken sandwiches were more likely to appear on the healthy list, while more fried chicken options were on the unhealthy list.
Here's how the full lists stacked up.
10 Healthiest Fast Food Sandwiches
Updated
- Sourdough Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich (Jack in the Box)
- New York Steamer Sandwich (Firehouse Subs)
- Cajun Chicken Sandwich (Firehouse Subs)
- Deluxe Sandwich (Chick-fil-A)
- Asiago Ranch Classic Chicken Club (Wendy's)
- Chick-fil-A Sandwich (Chick-fil-A)
- Hero Sandwich (Firehouse Subs)
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich (Chick-fil-A)
- Classic Chicken Sandwich (KFC)
- Engineer Sandwich (Firehouse Subs)
10 Unhealthiest Fast Food Sandwiches
- Big Fish Sandwich (Burger King)
- Classic Smashed Jack (Jack in the Box)
- Original Chicken Sandwich (Burger King)
- Chicken Sandwich Classic (Popeyes)
- Crispy Grilled Cheese on Sourdough (Starbucks)
- Chicken Jr. Sandwich (Burger King)
- Meatball Marinara (Subway)
- Big Mac (McDonald's)
- Whopper Sandwich with Cheese (Burger King)
- Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger (Jack in the Box)
Healthiest Fast Food Options by City
We also took a look at the cities in the U.S. where it's easiest to choose a quick and relatively healthy fast food option. To figure this out, we looked at the top 50 most populated American metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and found the number of each fast food chain per 100,000 people. The more healthy options available, the more likely you may be to pick that one when you need a convenient meal or snack.
Here's what we found.
- Jacksonville, Florida, and Raleigh, North Carolina, have the highest concentration of Firehouse Subs locations (where four of the healthiest sandwich options can be found).
- Birmingham, Alabama, and San Antonio, Texas, held the top two spots for having the highest concentration of Chick-fil-A locations. (Chick-fil-A came in just behind Firehouse Subs with three of the top 10 healthiest sandwiches).
- Las Vegas, on the other hand, had the highest concentration of Burger King locations (four of the least healthy options came from Burger King).
Methodology: How Scores Were Calculated
In order to calculate the best and worst fast food sandwich options, we looked at the 10 top restaurants that offer sandwiches, ranked by chains that have the most revenue in the U.S.: Starbucks, KFC, Burger King, McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Subway, Wendy's, Popeyes, Jack in the Box, and Firehouse Subs.
From there, we evaluated all sandwich and burger options at each restaurant.
From there, we found the nutritional data for each menu item in each of the following categories:
- Protein
- Calories
- Trans fat
- Net carbs
The healthiest sandwiches were high in protein and low in calories, trans fat, and net carbs. Protein was weighted with a 3x multiplier, while trans fat was weighted 2x. We then averaged each sandwich to determine the final rankings.
Tips for Eating Healthy at Fast Food Restaurants
Before you start your order, consider these three strategies to optimize healthy decision making when heading to a fast food restaurant for a sandwich.
- Focus on protein. Protein-rich foods have been shown in studies to keep you feeling full longer and even help you lose weight. But it's important to balance protein and caloric intake. For instance, the highest protein fast food sandwich is the Big Bacon Classic Triple Burger from Wendy's—but at 1,220 calories and 4.5 grams of trans fat, it's far from being considered healthy.
- Check for trans fat. The use of trans fat is waning because it provides no nutritional value while also being detrimental to health. In fact, 56 out of 106 of the sandwiches we evaluated contain absolutely no trans fat, giving you plenty of choices to avoid it.
- Swap a soda for water. Regularly drinking water can help with weight loss thanks to benefits like boosting your metabolism and breaking down fat. While it can be tempting to order a fountain soda every time you head to the drive-thru, regularly drinking sugary drinks can interfere with weight loss goals.
Making Smart Food Choices Anywhere
Having an overall healthy diet doesn't mean you can never eat out at your favorite fast food restaurant—everything in moderation! Understanding which menu items are likely to keep you feeling satiated while also fueling your body can help you make healthier choices that you'll feel good about.
Connecting with a healthcare provider for help can help you understand your body's needs while incorporating lasting behavioral changes into your daily routine.
This story was produced by Hers and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
