McRib is back this week, with a lawsuit over its ingredients still pending: what to know

The McRib’s limited-time return is here. Some McDonald’s restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, and the Pittsburgh area were expected to start serving the barbecue pork sandwich on Monday, Oct. 26, with the official start in select cities on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

This year’s comeback arrives with an unusual backdrop: a class-action lawsuit, filed last December, that claims the McRib contains no actual rib meat. McDonald’s denies the claims.

When and where the McRib is back

McDonald’s told USA Today the sandwich returns Tuesday, Oct. 27 at select restaurants, not nationwide. Confirmed cities include:

• Los Angeles
• Chicago
• Miami
• Atlanta
• Philadelphia
• Dallas
• Cleveland
• Seattle
• St. Louis

Columbus and the Pittsburgh area were expected to get it a day early, on Oct. 26, citing reports from The Columbus Dispatch and KDKA Radio, Rolling Out reported. Fans using the crowdsourced McRib Locator site also reported buying it in places such as San Antonio and Charlotte, North Carolina, before the official date. Those sightings aren’t official confirmations.

The company says the McDonald’s app is the best way to check whether a nearby restaurant has it.

What the McRib lawsuit claims

The suit was filed Dec. 23, 2025, in federal court in Chicago by four customers seeking class-action status, CBS Chicago reported.

According to CBS Chicago, the lawsuit argues that:

• The name and the rib-shaped patty lead customers to believe they’re getting pork rib meat, but “the McRib does not contain any actual pork rib meat at all.”
• The patty is instead made from “lower-grade pork products such as, inter alia, pork shoulder, heart, tripe, and scalded stomach.”
• McDonald’s has “cultivated a sense of anticipation around the McRib, leveraging its scarcity to drive sales.”
• The McRib is among the most expensive single items on the McDonald’s menu.

The suit asks the court to stop what it calls deceptive marketing and to award damages. Rolling Out reported that news coverage has not indicated any ruling in the case.

What McDonald’s says

McDonald’s USA has pushed back firmly. In a statement reported by CBS Chicago, the company said:

“This lawsuit distorts the facts and many of the claims are inaccurate… Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S. We’ve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.”

The company added that it doesn’t use pork hearts, tripe or scalded stomach in the McRib patty, and that those items aren’t allowed in any of its pork products. It says the patty has a base of 100% seasoned boneless pork.

USA Today has reported the patty’s ingredients as pork, water, salt, dextrose and rosemary extract. The sandwich comes on a bun with barbecue sauce, pickles and onions.

How much does a McRib cost?

McDonald’s hasn’t published a national price, and prices vary by location. The lawsuit, citing McRib Locator data, said the sandwich averaged $5.63 in December 2024 and cost as much as $7.89 at some locations, Rolling Out reported. That was higher than the average Big Mac price at the time.

Checking the app before you go is the easiest way to see the price at your local restaurant.

Why the McRib keeps coming and going

The McRib debuted in Kansas City in 1981 and has rotated on and off menus for decades, sometimes nationwide and often regionally. Its last nationwide run was at the end of 2024, Rolling Out reported. In 2025 it came back only in some markets, around mid-November, so this year’s return is a few weeks earlier than last year’s.

McDonald’s hasn’t said when the McRib will leave menus this time.

FAQ

Earlier coverage: The McRib returns Oct. 27 at select McDonald's restaurants: cities, dates and what to know (Oct 25)