Monthly Archives: November 2022

McRib Locator

Will 2022 have the shortest US McRib Season in the past decade?

I have been thinking about how quickly this season has been and decided to take a look back at previous decade to see if this will be the shortest McRib season we have recorded.

For this exercise, I focused on confirmed Fall McRib season sightings. I consider the Fall Release months to be September through February. Also for simplicity, I rounded duration to half months. Keep in mind that this data is not specifically availability nationwide, but rather any availability in the US.

YearDuration (Months)
20123
20134.5
20144.5
20155
20164
20173
20183
20194
20202
20214.5
2022TBD (Currently ~1.5 month)
Average ~ 3.75 Months
McRib Fall Season Availability 2012 – 2022

It would appear that if McRib sales stop now, we will indeed have had the shortest McRib season of the past decade. Long time McRib fan Robert B. reported that his store thought they would reach their promotional end date of December 3rd, so we know some locations had planned to exceed the national November 20th release date.

If you are already starting to think about what a limited release might mean, back in 2017 we compiled some information about which states were most likely to bring the McRib back when releases are not nationwide.

How you can help

As we close in on the end of the 2022 season, please be on the lookout for the McRib. With the potential for a limited, or perhaps no, release next year, some fans are going to really want to grab a last McRib meal. If you find the McRib, please drop a report on our map. If you purchase the sandwich, please send us a receipt showing the date, store, and price of the McRib sandwich at your location. Thank you in advance!

McRib On Burger Bun

McRib Late Season Update 2022

McRib Late Season Is Here

We are now reaching the final days of the 2022 McRib release season in the US based on the advertised November 20th marketing completion date. At this point in the season, components of the sandwich start to run out. Stores are left to find creative ways to deliver some form of the McRib. We have our first reported incident from Danny P where his McRib was served on a hamburger bun. While better than no McRib, these late season builds are always entertaining to see. If you find a “last chance” McRib build, please share your photo with us. It may be interesting to others to see how each stores solves this problem.

Danny P sent us this photo of a McRib offered on a hamburger bun

Merchandise

The McDonalds McRib merchandise sale arrived and sold out of all products very rapidly. November 15th those lucky enough to make purchases are seeing shipping details being sent. Personally, my order shows an arrival of November 19th. This gives me under a day to show off my McRib related items before the McRib is gone from menus for the year.

Creative McRib Builds

We asked on Facebook for some unique McRib customizations, and here are a a few of the responses we received.

Looking to 2023 in the US Market

There are a lot of questions regarding if the McRib will be leaving US Markets forever as the current marketing would suggest. Some conversations have suggested the issue is that the McRib sauce is hard to maintain. Some store managers have said from the start that they were certain this was the end, while others say it is unlikely to be the case. I still am leaning toward next year the McRib will return. However, I think the 2023 release may be a more limited scale of stores offering the sandwich.

Globally

It appears that now Germany and Malta are the only other global markets where the McRib is still available. While the McRib is on a farewell tour in the US, there is no indications it will be leaving menus in Germany. Perhaps an uptick in flights to Germany will be noted if the McRib does not return in the US for 2023.

How you can help

As we close in on the end of the 2022 season, please be on the lookout for the McRib. With the potential for a limited, or perhaps no, release next year, some fans are going to really want to grab a last McRib meal. If you find the McRib, please drop a report on our map. If you purchase the sandwich, please send us a receipt showing the date, store, and price of the McRib sandwich at your location. Thank you in advance!