CNN —The McRib is returning to menus this holiday season – but don’t get used to it. Essentially, consumers don’t know when it will show up next — and that element of surprise also drives demand. “It creates this sense of urgency that you have to get it now because you don’t know when it’s coming back. You don’t know if it’s coming back,” Henkes said. It’s so popular that the McDonald’s website listed “Why isn’t the McRib sold year-round?” as a frequently asked question.

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Persons: McDonald’s, Nacho Fries, hasn’t, ”, Michael Della Penna, Stephen Zagor, David Henkes, Technomic, it’s, ” Henkes, Henkes, Brian Niccol, Zagor Organizations: CNN, Columbia Business School, Starbucks, Facebook, “ Locations: Kansas City