The Unexpected Reason McDonald's Created The Now-Iconic McRib

The McRib is one of those menu items that pop on and off the McDonald's menu in somewhat regular intervals causing a stir among its die-hard fans. Even still, the fast food chain makes no promises that the fan-favorite will be around forever. In fact, McDonald's caused shockwaves among fans by proclaiming that 2022 would be the official Farewell Tour of the iconic sandwich. Of course, the chain's devotees might remain skeptical as it is far from the first time McDonald's has threatened to end the sandwich's reign.

Considering the fanfare that surrounds the occasional return of this pork sandwich, you might be surprised to know that it wasn't popular at first. In fact, its main purpose was to make up for the chicken shortage caused by the incredible popularity of Chicken McNuggets. The McRib was the unlikely brainchild of René Arend, the executive chef at McDonald's in 1981, who had also created the immensely sought-after McNuggets two years earlier. Entrusted with devising a suitable standout replacement in the wake of this poultry paucity, the chef set about working on a dish influenced by his travels in the South.

When Chef René Arend was tasked with creating an item that wasn't made from beef or chicken, he took inspiration from a trip to Charleston, South Carolina. While there he became entranced with the region's pulled pork sandwiches. The ingenuity of his creation was taking the saucy, softness of pulled pork and fashioning it into a rib shape. "Some thought, Why not just make it round?" he told Maxim in 2009. "It would've been easier. But I wanted it to look like a slab of ribs." He and his team achieved this by using the same meat-reconstituting method that they did for Chicken McNuggets.

As with McNuggets, the McRib's unique shape likely led to the item's longevity. The rib-shaped design made the sandwich easier to eat with one hand, a signature feature of most fast-food offerings. Pulled pork sandwiches are typically messy and aren't designed for on-the-go dining. Despite the McRib's generous slather of smoky-sweet barbecue sauce, everything mostly stays contained within the long roll, including the tangy pickles and slices of raw white onion. 

The big question is when (and if) the McRib will make its way back to McDonald's restaurants. Despite the assertion that the saucy sandwich has seen its last run, fall is the time to look for its potential return. The sandwich was designed to be enjoyed when temperatures fall and it typically slides back onto menus around the end of October or the beginning of November.

Plus, this isn't the first time McDonald's has threatened to remove the McRib from the menu permenantly. Three other official "farewell tours" have been announced, the first of which was over 17 years ago in 2005. The most recent announcement even acknowledges that this is likely not the true end if fans continue to purchase the seasonal sandwich. 'Like any true farewell tour, we're hoping this isn't a 'goodbye' but a 'see you later,' reads the official press release. This echoes what a chain spokesperson said in 2005 to QSR, "Ultimately it is our customers who determine what is on our menu." So, if you are a McRib fan the best (and tastiest) way to vote for its return is to eat it if it comes back again.