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As hardcore fans of the delicious McRib will tell you, they wish that McDonald’s would just keep it on the menu year-round.
Heck, there’s even a website called the McRib Locator to help people locate the limited edition sandwich.
Unfortunately, they don’t so everyone has to wait around impatiently for its annual placement back on the menu.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba9dP8bnCjD/?tagged=mcrib
This year the McRib makes its triumphant return today, November 2nd, 2017 in parts of California.
https://twitter.com/McDonalds_SoCal/status/925075211015241728
In Hawaii it returns on November 7th…
#8 Reason Why McRib pic.twitter.com/YpAQesjUMg
— McDonald's of Hawaii (@McDonaldsHawaii) October 30, 2017
The McRib Locator has also identified other locations and reports that McDonald’s in South Carolina, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota will be getting it back on the menu in the coming weeks.
So why, despite fans wanting the McRib on the menu year-round, isn’t it? Here are the reasons, according to FoodBeast…
Meat scientist Roger Mandigo, one of the men credited with helping McDonald’s invent their legendary sandwich, told the Lincoln Journal Star that the national supply of those pieces of pork used to make the McRib isn’t too big.
“If you suddenly start to buy a large amount of that material, the price starts to rise,” Mandigo said. Thus, as the price of pork trimmings goes up, McDonald’s eventually takes the pork sandwich off of the menu.
In addition to cost control, McDonald’s only keeps the McRib around for a short while as a way to keep people coming back for it.
Even McDonald’s itself admits to some of this marketing chicanery…
There's a lot of mystery around why the McRib comes and goes, but to be honest it's a local option based on consumer demand.
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) October 23, 2017
As Inc.’s Nicole Carter puts it, “While McDonald’s playing hard-to-get with the McRib certainly baffles most customers, from a business perspective, it has proven to be a wildly effective marketing strategy. The McRib’s marketing strategy bundles the appeal of exclusivity, scarcity, and seasonality into one savory package.”
Annoying? Yes. Wildly effective? No doubt about it.
Indeed.