McDonald's Fan-Favorite Limited Item Set to Make a Comeback 'Later This Year'

McDonald ' s is about to make fans very happy—and we're Lovin' It!

This week, McDonald's U.S. President Joe Erlinger casually revealed that the McRib is making a comeback to menus for a limited time at least.

As McRib fans already know, the polarizing sandwich features seasoned boneless pork dipped in a tangy BBQ sauce, topped with slivered onions and pickles, and all served on a toasted homestyle bun.

The McRib has been a longtime on-and-off item on McDonald's menus, and according to Erlinger, it's supposed to make a comeback at the end of the year.

"It's coming later this year. The McRib will be back," Erlinger said during a conversation with Today ' s Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie while promoting the fast food chain's new $5 value meal .

But it was Today weatherman Al Roker who questioned Erlinger about the McRib , which the 69-year-old TV personality is known to have a particular fondness for.

Joking that he was "asking for a friend," Roker seemed to be jazzed about the McRib news, celebrating, "The McRib's coming back!"

The McRib has already been available in Germany for a while, and it returned to Canada in January.

"Bringing the McRib back for a limited time will spur some interest and food traffic for McDonald's at a time when performance is flagging," retail expert for Global Data, Neil Saunders , told the Daily Mail this week.

But he warned, "The uplift is usually only temporary, so the chain still has work to do on areas like pricing if it wants to secure a better performance."

Still, tons of fans like Roker will likely be overjoyed about the news, and they'll surely be heading to their participating McDonalds later this year when the sandwich makes its awaited return.

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