Minnesota McDonald’s Serve-Up McRibs, Offer Sauce to Lure Customers Back In

McDonald's is one savvy company.

They know how to play with the emotions of a nation. They are next-level at marketing.

Witness their latest Shakespearean-like saga.

In October, the fast food industry went into panic-mode after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked slivered onions used on McDonald's Quarter Pounders with an E. coli outbreak that sickened dozens and killed one.

Several national restaurant chains stopped serving onions and switched providers while the bacterial outbreak was investigated. The onion supplier in affected states recalled their yellow onions. McDonald's paused serving Quarter Pounders for a while and only resumed sales after using a different supplier and changing its supply chain.

Today, the CDC issued an "all clear" for McDonald's.

Pretty dramatic, huh?

But wait -- there's more!

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Coincidentally, today was the first day of the "McRib Season" -- or "McRib SZN" as McDonald's calls it -- that short period of time every so often that McDonald's rolls-out its sauced pork sandwich to much fan anticipation.

McRib is one of those products that McDonald's serves for only a limited time to get folks back into their restaurants. Call it a very special, limited-time-only event that draws a lot of diners back to the Golden Arches.

For some, McRib SZN is fast-food nirvana. The pork patty, pressed into the shape of a small rack of ribs. The tasty non-skid items that help you keep the sandwich together -- the pickles and onions -- and of course, that special homestyle bun.

And then there's the sauce.

The McRib sauce is the stuff that brings the whole sandwich together, binding its sweet-and-savory essences together.

McDonald's knows how some customers are fanatical about the McRib and its sauce. In fact, they're banking on it to bring people back into their restaurants after the E. coli issue.

But remember how I said McDonald's is next-level at marketing?

This year, they cranked up the excitement to "11" -- introducing half-gallon jugs of McRib sauce called "A Whole Lotta McRib Sauce."

For $19.99, you could order a half gallon of the McRib sauce online at WholeLottaMcRibSauce.com.

Notice I said, you COULD buy it.

The stuff went on sale November 25th. And yep -- sadly -- it's sold out already.

But of course, there's the after-market on ebay where you can still buy the sauce...if you're willing to pay.

Even if we can't buy the sauce in bulk, you can still get a taste of the McRib sandwiches, available for a limited time at McDonald's.