The McRib May Be Back, But Its Price Has People Furious

It’s the news that some people have been waiting for all year, and others are already rolling their eyes at: The McRib is back. Yes, that’s right, this love-it-or-hate-it sandwich is starting to appear once more in McDonald’s locations around the US (although not all of them – it’s only going to be available in certain locations and cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, among others). And it’s already making some people very unhappy, and not necessarily because they don’t like its combo of restructured pork, sauce, and bun. 

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Nope – it’s because this time around, it’s expensive. Let’s talk about it. 

The McRib: A Price Worth Paying?

Shortly after McDonald’s confirmed the McRib’s return, customers started checking how much it would cost them in their restaurant apps – and they were pretty stunned by what they saw. Some folks have reported that in their area, the McRib is priced at around $7 or more, a fact that prompted a fairly expletive-heavy thread on Reddit. One person, located in the Bay Area, posted a screenshot of their app showing that the sandwich alone was $7.49, and a McRib meal would cost $11.79. 

To put that in perspective, back when the McRib last made a nationwide comeback in 2024, it had an average price of $5.63 (although some places did price their sandwiches above the $7 mark back then, too). Over on Reddit, meanwhile, customers were quick to share pictures of when the McRib was 2 for $6, in the halcyon days (kinda) of 2019. So, its price increase over the last couple of years may not be that drastic, but when you compare it to what it was shortly before that, it feels pretty wild. 

A Familiar Story

The price of the McRib this time around caused, as you might expect, a lot of consternation from McDonald’s customers – and it’s far from the first time this has happened this year. A couple of months ago, we wrote about how people were jumping ship from McDonald’s to other fast food restaurants because of its ever-increasing prices, and it also caught heat for its value menu changes, which customers felt gave them, well…less value. Sadly, this tendency towards higher prices doesn’t look like it’s changing any time soon: Last month, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski stated that McDonald’s may have to consider future price increases, due to the current and continuing economic climate and in a moment defined by high inflation. Basically, the McRib’s probably not gonna get cheaper any time soon.