McDonald’s Delays McRib Return Until December

Well, f*ck.

Disclaimers first, I may just be speaking for the western coast of the United States here, but it definitely feels like one of the laggiest fall seasons ever.

Usually by the time the first day of school rolls around, the sky’s consistently overcast and the weather’s a steady 70-80 degrees. But it’s the third week of September now and it’s been so hot lately that 77 degrees at 9 a.m. is actually considered cool.

And now, to round it all out, someone at McDonald’s has just leaked a memo that the seasonal McRib–normally out in October–won’t return to the Mickey D’s menu boards until the second half of December.

(Which, should conspiracy theorists be believed, actually means we’ll only get to savor our favorite wintry fare for about a week before everything goes to hell.)

The reason for the dreadful change in season? The weather, supposedly. According to Ad Age, fourth-quarter 2011 and first quarter 2012 “marked one of the mildest winters in years”–boosting McDonald’s sales to up to 9.8%, and giving them ample reason to attempt to match that number this year by delaying the McRib’s release.

Which, all right, fine, is a completely understandable excuse on Mickey D Corporate’s part, but couldn’t they have found another way? They’re already introducing a Cheddar Bacon Onion Angus Burger and chicken sandwich in place of the McRib in fall, as well as the new Fish McBites due out in February. Why not just roll out Twister Fries or McNoodles or Smore’s Pies to grab new consumers for the holidays, and leave the rest of us to our McRibs in peace?

Come on, McDonald’s. Where’s your holiday spirit?