McDonald's is quietly confirming the return of the fan-favorite sandwich – but it will only be available for four weeks

A McDonald's Sandwich with cult status is coming back.

The McRib – seasoned boneless pork dipped in spicy BBQ sauce and topped with chopped onions and pickles – returns to America starting November 27th.

Its return will be McDonald's latest weapon, along with its $5 meal deal and the Chicken Big Mac finally coming to the US, in the battle to win back customers in 2024.

The McRib, which has been removed from U.S. menus and then added back dozens of times over the years, is polarizing fast food fans. Some love it, others hate it.

But McDonald's knows the McRib gets customers into restaurants and drive-thru restaurants – useful at a time when it's trying to boost sales, which fell over the summer for the first time in years.

President Joe Erlinger had indicated that McRib would return earlier this summer.

The McRib sandwich is coming back in 2024. It was first sold in 1982

McDonald's President Joe Erlinger is behind new offerings and new products this year – including the $5 meal deal, the Big Arches – a larger burger – and the return of the McRib

And a source at McDonald's told DailyMail.com on Friday that the McRib will be back for four weeks at the end of November.

McDonald's is also bringing the McRib back to restaurants in the UK, but a month earlier, on October 16th.

McRib – which has been described as the “fast food sandwich that went viral before it went viral” – debuted nationally at UCooS in 1982.

After low sales, it was discontinued in 1985, but returned in 1989 and was generally available in the United States and other countries until 2005.

It was then reintroduced at regular intervals until it disappeared again in 2012 for eight years. It didn't come back until December 2020 when it came back for a limited time.

At the time, it was an attempt to lure customers back after dining rooms became sparsely populated or closed due to the pandemic.

The McRib is an elusive prize for fans who scour the internet for reports of its appearance in limited locations for a short time.

In the past, the McRib was credited with attracting customers and increasing the chain's sales.

For example, a “farewell tour” by the cult favorite in November 2022 resulted in a double-digit increase in sales.

Bosses said this was the last time the McRib would be sold. But it happened again in November 2023.

“The return of the McRib for a limited time will drive interest and traffic for McDonald's at a time when performance is lagging,” retail expert Neil Saunders, managing director of Global Data, recently told DailyMail.com.

But he explained that McDonald's only sells it for a limited time – and doesn't have it as a permanent item on the menu – because “the boost is usually temporary.”

It's not impossible to get a McRib anytime, but you'll have to travel. Germany has been on the menu all year round for some time now. It was returned to Canada in January of this year.

McDonald's has worked hard to win back customers with lower prices and new products.

In June, McDonald's launched a $5 meal deal that included either a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries and a drink. It was recently extended until December.

Fan rejoiced when the McRib returned in 2020 for the first time in eight years

McRib will be back later in 2024

Then in August, the chain announced that an all-new, larger burger called “The Big Arch” would be coming to the U.S. later this year. It's already in Canada.

It will be the fast food giant's first new permanent global product since Chicken McNuggets in 1983.

Earlier this week, the chain finally set the date for when the Chicken Big Mac would come to the US. It will go on sale from October 10th after being sold off and on in Europe for years.

McDonald's has also become a fan favorite Bagels are returning to the breakfast menu after four years.

Bagels were first introduced at McDonald's in late 2019, but were soon discounted when bosses simplified the menu in spring 2020 during the pandemic.