It’s that time again—McDonald’s has welcomed back their coveted McRib sandwich. The only problem? It won't be available everywhere.
The fast-food chain says it's leaving it up to local franchise groups to decide whether the pork sandwich will grace its menus. The past three years McDonald's had put the McRib on the national menu as a way to boost sales in the back half of the year, but now the company has shifted its focus onto some new menu items, including the just-announced ground chicken burgers.
Tyler Litchenberger, McDonald's Communications Manager, told AP that the reasoning behind the limited release was that the company had "other national priorities" this year, such as its new ground chicken burgers and Mighty Wings. She added that franchises which decided to sell the McRib have already had it for the past couple of weeks.
Currently, McDonald’s new ground chicken burgers are being tested in 202 McDonald’s restaurants in Florida’s Tampa Bay area. Blake Casper, an operator of 53 McDonald’s franchises in the area, tells Business Journal, “We are definitely approaching this product with the same spirit that the owner/operators who created the Filet-O-Fish, Egg McMuffin and Big Mac did. But our focus is on our customers here in Tampa Bay.”
You may have noticed that McDonald's has been stepping up its pace of limited-time offers and new menu introductions over the past year. According to AP, the strategy is seen as a way to keep customers interested amid intensifying competition, but retired head of McDonald's U.S. Jeff Stratton has commented that the pace has been too fast and created “operational issues” for restaurants.
For more on McDonald’s developing product lines and business strategies, stay tuned to DeliMarket News.
