McDonald's McRib is coming back: Barbecue sandwich will be available nationwide for the first time since 2012

In a year of disappointments and canceled events amid the coronavirus pandemic, the McRib is still coming back.

McDonald’s announced Friday that its iconic barbecue sandwich is set to return for a limited time starting Dec. 2.

And for the first time since 2012, it will be available at restaurants nationwide.

"The McRib has been a beloved menu item at McDonald’s since its inception nearly 40 years ago," Linda VanGosen, McDonald’s vice president of menu innovation, said in a news release. "To our customers, it’s become more than a delicious, saucy moment… it’s a season, and it’s taking the internet by storm."

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McDonald's McRib is coming back for a limited time.
The McRib – seasoned boneless pork, barbecue sauce, onions and pickles on a hoagie-style bun – made its national debut in the early 1980s, McDonald’s said. It last came back in October 2019 for a limited run.

McDonald’s teased of a possible McRib return on Twitter last week.

“it’s always “when is the McRib coming back” and never “how are you doing person who runs the McDonald’s account,” the fast-food chain wrote in a tweet that was liked more than 133,000 times.

Other businesses' social media accounts got in on the action and responded to McDonald's tweet with some commiserating over tweets about products of the past or offering support. Pizza Hut, Target, Facebook, Oreo Cookie, Walgreens, Ulta Beauty, Xbox, IBM and HBO were among the companies that responded.