After a catastrophic limited release in October, McDonald’s is making amends with die-hard "Rick & Morty" fans by reviving the chain’s now infamous SzeChuan sauce beginning February 26.
https://twitter.com/McDonalds/status/966682596640985088 Evidently, there’s something to be said for the power of pop culture. Originally produced in 1998 as a promotion for Disney’s Mulan, SzeChuan sauce was revived in 2017 during the season three premiere of the raunchy animated sitcom Rick & Morty. In the episode, foul-mouthed scientist Rick Sanchez, one of the show’s titular characters, reveals his lifelong mission to taste the savory condiment once more. In response, fans produced a petition that garnered over 38,000 signatures. The repercussions of what began as an innocent reference on television are reminiscent of a stunt pulled by late night host Conan O’Brien in 1997 when he jokingly asked viewers to send letters to the producers of Dirty Dancing demanding its re-release. Due to O’Brien’s dedicated following, the film was in fact re-released that same year. https://twitter.com/DDOnStage/status/769149110611881984 Well, McDonald’s eagerly hopped on the promotional pony, promising the return of Rick’s beloved SzeChuan sauce, and everything promptly spiraled out of control. The fast-food chain wound up supplying an inadequate amount of sauce to meet demands, having severely underestimated the curiosity (and madness) of the show’s fanbase. Some stores only had up to 20 packets of the sauce, plus a couple promotional posters.
To be fair, the franchise was quick to not only apologize for the mishap(s) but promised to make up for it in the near future. Fast-forward a few months, and we’re realizing McDonald’s does not make the same mistake twice. This time around, every store in the U.S. will be stocked with 20 million packets of Szechuan sauce.
Though it sounds like a huge number, with how rabid fans were the first go-around, no one can know for sure how long this still-limited supply will last.
Even so, if Rick were around, he’d not only pat himself on the back for provoking riots across the country over a condiment, but he’d likely declare this officially the greatest timeline in the multiverse!
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Are you planning to stock up on SzeChuan sauce once doors open on the 26th? Let us know in the comments!
