McDonald’s confirms McRib returning to New Zealand after self-service kiosk error

Diners noticed McDonald's self-service kiosks displaying the McRib on the menu as "sold out". Photo / Reddit, File

After six years off the menu, McDonald’s is bringing a fan favourite back to New Zealand stores – although there’ll only be a narrow window to get your hands on it.

In a statement provided to the Herald, McDonald’s confirmed the McRib will be sold for the first time since 2019.

“The wait is over. The McRib, one of Mcdonald’s most talked-about items, is back on Kiwi menus for a limited time.

“A global favourite and a fan obsession, the McRib has earned cult status for good reason.”

The announcement ends speculation the fast-food chain would be reintroducing the McRib after diners across the country saw it appearing on self-service kiosks as “sold out”.

One customer noticed the kiosk error and posted it on Reddit’s New Zealand forum, writing: “I was just getting some nuggies and noticed this… Is this a glitch? Or should the McRib lovers be getting excited?”

Does this mean what I think it means??
by u/Routine_Bluejay4678 in newzealand

The McDonald’s spokesperson said it was a chance for Kiwis “to try a bite of Macca’s history”.

The McRib consists of a pork patty in a “homestyle bun” with pickles, onions and barbecue sauce.

A legacy menu item first trialled in Kansas in the 1980s, the McRib remained available in the United States until it was discontinued in 2005.

But its cult following in the US has seen it return several times for limited runs, most recently in 2024.

There have only been a handful of occasions where Kiwis have been given the chance to try the McRib here at home.

Mcdonald's McRib last appeared in New Zealand in 2019, but only for a few weeks.

McDonald’s released the burger in Australia and New Zealand as the “Atlanta Pork McRib” in 2012 to celebrate the London Olympics and prior host cities of the Games.

And in 2015, the burger brand teased a limited run of the McRib in stores with a 90-second video of a man’s dancing session that ended with him doused in barbecue sauce.

It most recently appeared in 2019, although it was only sold for a few weeks.

In other countries, the lore of the McRib still holds, with Germany and Luxembourg offering them year-round and Canada and Britain reintroducing them to stores last year for a limited time.

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