One of McDonald’s most iconic menu items is about to make a major comeback, at least for customers north of the border. After disappearing from menus a decade ago, the McRib is set to return to McDonald’s restaurants in Canada this week, marking the first time the mouth-watering item has been on Canadian menus since 2014.
“In the last year alone, our team received thousands of inquiries on social media from very passionate Canadian McRib fans asking to bring it back here,” Alyssa Buetikofer, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald’s Canada, said in a press release. “The McRib is truly a fan favourite. It appeals to guests of all ages-from loyal followers who have patiently waited a decade for its return, to our newer fans who have only heard the legend.”
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The McRib is set to return to participating McDonald’s restaurants in Canada for a limited time beginning Tuesday, Jan. 30. It will be available in-restaurant, through the McDonald’s app, at the Drive-Thru, or via McDelivery. The fan-favorite menu item will be making its return in the Canadian market following the McRib’s return to U.S. locations earlier this year. The menu item boasts a slice of seasoned boneless pork slathered in tangy barbecue sauce and is topped with slivered onions and tart pickles.
The McRib is something of a storied item. It first debuted on the McDonald’s menu in Kansas City, Kansas as “a regional favorite” in 1981. It was brought back to menus in honor of the theatrical release of the live-action Flintstones film and quickly went on to achieve international fame. It remained a staple of the McDonald’s menu in the ’90s and early 2000s, debuting across the globe on menus in Germany, New Zealand, and France.
Despite its popularity, the McRib’s fate met an untimely end, with McDonald’s launching three farewell tours for the McRib in 2005, 2006, and 2007. It returned to U.S. menus from 2010 to 2012 and again in 2020, after which it reappeared annually each November. Despite the chain’s claim in 2022 that the McRib was “embarking on a ‘Farewell Tour,” the McRib returned to U.S. menusfor a limited time in November, a McDonald’s USA spokesperson telling Today.com, “it turns out not everyone was ready to say goodbye to the McRib after last year’s Farewell Tour.”
