Does it Live Up to the Hype?
Since its introduction in 1981, there have been few fast-food sandwiches as consistently hyped as the McDonald’s McRib Sandwich.
We’re not sure how you would have missed out on what the McRib actually is, but, just in case you haven’t turned on your television or visited a McDonald’s in the last 26 years, the McRib is a boneless meat patty that has been pressed in such a fashion that it appears to have rib bones in it. (If you think about that for long enough, it’ll blow your mind, so just pretend that it makes sense). It is covered in a barbecue-like sauce, topped with pickles and onions and placed on a hoagie-style bun. Nutritionally, it weighs in at 500 calories and 26 grams of fat.
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McDonald’s brings the McRib back every so often, only to retire it again when the time is right. In fact, the current hype around the McRib centers on a “Farewell Tour 3” rock-band-esque theme. The McDonald’s campaign includes clever television commercials with “fans” lined up around the block (like they’re lining up for tickets) and a microsite (www.mcrib.com) where you can play a game in which you run the light board for a concert where the band sings songs about the McRib. You can also download rock-style T-shirt iron-ons on the site. It all plays nicely against the real-life “final” reunion/farewell tours for groups like the Police or Van Halen.
So, if we’re to believe the hype, the McRib has a legion of fans excited about its latest farewell tour and eager to get their hands on the “available for a limited time only” sandwich. The marketing seems good, but we needed to know if it lived up to the hype, so we started asking around. Interestingly, despite the supposedly large aforementioned fanbase, we had a tough time actually finding anyone who’d eaten a McRib.
What we needed was a guinea pig … er … taste tester who could eat a McRib and let us know if it’s worthy of the purported admiration.
Enter Greg Hansen, M/C/C VP of Creative, who, at age 41, had managed never to eat a McRib (also proving that you’re never too old to try something new), even though he eats at McDonald’s on a semi-regular basis.
What follows is Greg’s take on how the McRib measures up against the hype. In addition, we’ve included a pictorial essay of sorts that documents Greg’s meal and subsequent “dissection” of a second McRib to find out what makes this sandwich tick. Like me, I think you’ll find answers to all of your McRib questions in Greg’s assessment.
Bon appétit.
Excitement filled the air as Greg strolled into the M/C/C breakroom on that fateful day in late November. He walked briskly to his favorite table and set down the McDonald’s bag that contained his $4.19 McRib combo with fries and a Coke.
“Mmm. It smells barbecue saucy,” Hansen said as he smiled and opened the bag.
He then proceeded to remove the McRib from its container.
“Hmm. The presentation is a little sloppy,” he said. “There’s some stray sauce on the container, and I’m having to redistribute the pickles and onions. Plus, the meat isn’t really centered.”
After arranging the sandwich to his liking, Greg raised it to his mouth for the first bite – the moment of truth.
“It has absolutely no flavor,” he said, after chewing and swallowing the bite. “I tasted more pickle than anything else.”
After giving the sandwich a few more bites, Greg offered the same opinion.
“The meat, which, by the way, I should be putting in quotes as ‘meat,’ has no flavor and the sauce has only a little flavor. The strongest flavors are the pickles and onions, with the sauce running a distant third.”
Clearly a little dejected, Greg retreated to the safety of his French fries before providing his final assessment.
“Overall, this has been quite a disappointment,” he said. “After years of hearing all the many rounds of hype for each return of the McRib and wondering ‘is it really that good?’ I came to find out that no, it’s not.
“I’m glad it came with French fries.”