// THE LORE
The comeback, then the pump
Every time the McRib comes back for a limited run, crypto Twitter checks the chart. That's the McRib Indicator, the internet's favorite fast-food market meme.
A McDonald's Senior Marketing Director announced the McRib is coming back as early as 10/27 in select U.S. restaurants, and in the same post brought up the sandwich's reputation in the crypto community, where some claim Bitcoin tends to perform well after a McRib comeback. The indicator just got its biggest shout-out yet.
- 1981
Born from a shortage
As the story goes, the McRib was created as a stopgap when McNuggets got so popular that supply couldn't keep up. Chef René Arend built the recipe, and a temporary fix turned into a cult classic.
- NOV 2017
The legend is born
The McRib returned to the U.S. in early November with Bitcoin around $6.7K. By mid-December BTC hit roughly $19.6K, and the meme was born.
- DEC 2020
Textbook McRib pump
Back on menus December 2. Within weeks, Bitcoin set a new all-time high, and it kept climbing into 2021.
- NOV 2021
Sauce on the top
The McRib returned November 1, and Bitcoin hit a then-record of about $68.7K on November 10.
- DEC 2024
Six figures
Bitcoin broke $100,000 for the first time on the same day the McRib returned to menus. Same year, a "McRib Bull Market Indicator" script on TradingView started marking every release date on the chart.
- OCT 2026
It's back
The McRib is returning, and this time a McDonald's marketing director brought up the crypto legend himself. Signal detected. $McRib is live on Ethereum.
It's a meme, not a model. The McRib has also come back right before some ugly dips, like in 2018 and 2022. Past sandwiches don't guarantee future pumps.
