McDonald's McRib returns after eight-year hiatus

Yahoo Finance’s Alexis Christoforous and Alexandra Canal discuss McDonald's bringing back the McRib.

Video Transcript

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Wait is over. McDonald's McRib has returned after an eight-year hiatus. Alexandra Canal is here with a McRib, live and in person. Alexandra, it's hard to believe it's been eight years. Does it taste the way you remember it?

ALEXANDRA CANAL: You know, full disclosure, I never had a McRib. But here it is, in all of its glory. There's a lot of barbecue. We have some pickles. We have some onions. I mean, I wanted tasted just because it's a very polarizing sandwich, and a lot of people have been talking about it. But let's see.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Yeah, we need for you to-- to give us your assessment. It's hard to eat and talk with your mouth full. But-- but do your best.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: You know, it's not as bad as I thought. I thought it would be a little sugary. I give it 6 out of 10, I think. But the McRib finally making its return to McDonald's. And fans of this sandwich have been waiting quite a long time. We saw the McRib make a brief appearance back in 2019. But nationwide, this has not been a menu item since 2012, so eight years. Eight years fans of this sandwich had to wait until it finally made its grand debut today.

Now, this comes at a pretty important time for McDonald's. This company has been on a wild ride since this pandemic first began back in March. People were afraid to leave their homes. A lot was still unknown about this virus. And the company did take a pretty significant hit there.

Now, as coronavirus restrictions began to ease, people got a little more used to the idea of doing some delivery and take-out options. The company did see a bit of a comeback. In the third quarter of 2020, McDonald's said that they saw their same-store US sales rise 4.6%. Meanwhile, comparable sales over in Europe, that did dip a little bit, a little over 2%.

But that's still saying a lot, considering that the restaurant space, in general, fast food and otherwise, has really struggled amid this pandemic. Now, leading up to the nationwide rollout of the McRib today, McDonald's did have a bit of fun. They launched a sweepstakes, where if you shave that quarantine beard, got rid of some of that facial hair, that might prevent you from fully enjoying the McRib. You could get a free sandwich.

They gave 10,000 Uber Eats codes. So I'm sure there's a lot of people out there that are fully enjoying their McRib. McDonald's also partnered with the nonprofit No Shave November, which helps fund cancer research. And profits from the McRib are going to help the company's donation to that nonprofit. So it's all for a good cause. Again, the McRib available nationwide. And here it is.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Is it around-- is it around for just a short time? Is it a limited time [INAUDIBLE].

ALEXANDRA CANAL: A limited time-- a limited time, probably only a couple of months. So if you want it, you better get it quickly.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Go get it. I don't know what to say it's a rave review. You know, you say not-- "not as bad as I thought." OK, Alexandra Canal.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: I'm a burger girl. I'm a burger and fries all the way. But if you're into something a little sweeter, I think this is probably your move.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: All right. You heard it here first. Thanks for taste testing for us.