It's Possible You Won't Get Your McRib This Year

Say it ain't so! After a yearlong wait for the return of the mighty McRib, McDonald's has announced that its highly anticipated limited-edition menu item will not be rolling out nationwide this year. Instead, McDonald's will let individual franchises and regions decide whether to include the McRib on the menu or not. There are no details yet as to where the sandwich will be available.

Since 2006, the McRib has been a limited-edition item that's only available during its annual "farewell tour" in November and December. Right now Germany is the only country in the world with the McRib on the menu year-round.

"The McRib always makes a grand entrance on our menus and we don't want to steal its thunder — so stay tuned," McDonald's spokeswoman Lisa McComb told CNBC. "We're letting the restaurants determine if this menu item is one their customers will enjoy."

McDonald's has recently been experiencing faltering sales, in comparison to other fast food and fast casual outlets like Chipotle, Taco Bell, and Panera. So the McRib limitation may be an attempt to shake things up.

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi