McDonald's McRib

The McRib has been "coming back" and "going away forever" since 1981, and the artificial scarcity has turned a mediocre pork sandwich into a cultural institution. McDonald's brings it back when pork prices drop, creating an unintentional economics lesson in commodity-driven menu planning. The McRib has its own fan-run locator website (mcriblocator.com), a dedicated subreddit, and generates headlines every single time it returns. In 2022, McDonald's announced the "Farewell Tour" (implying it was the last time) — and then brought it back again in 2023. The McRib is proof that scarcity creates demand, even for restructured pork.