Fans may be quite forgiving of performers who fail to sell out farewell shows (see The Who, Cher, and Elton John). Will they, however, be as tolerant of a failed fast-food farewell tour?
McDonald's believes they will. It dispatched the McRib, which appeared on the menu on an irregular basis, on its own McRib Farewell Tour last year. We wondered whether it was gone for real or merely a marketing trick at the time.
We can't tell for sure whether it was a marketing trick, but the McRib was not gone forever. According to the company, the sandwich is returned for "a limited time only."
"It turns out that not everyone was ready to say farewell to the McRib after last year's Farewell Tour," a McDonald's USA official informed us.
"While it won't be available nationwide, many lucky fans may find their most elusive saucy sandwich at their local McDonald's restaurants this November."
The McRib first appeared on McDonald's menus in 1981, in part to provide a menu item for restaurants that couldn't receive the super-popular, newly debuted Chicken McNuggets.
There just wasn't enough chicken to meet the immediate demand. The McRib was not the most popular item, and as McNuggets were widely accessible and pork prices rose, it was removed off menus in 1985.
However, we know that several defunct fast-food delicacies, such as the McDonald's Spicy McNugget, reappeared from time to time, and the McRib has come and gone repeatedly since 1989.