McDonald’s is bringing back a product that led to riots after it was featured on the popular television show “Rick and Morty.”
The fast food restaurant said Thursday that it will ship 20 million packets of Szechuan sauce to all of its restaurants in the U.S.
The condiment was first served by McDonald’s in 1998 to promote the Disney film “Mulan.” “Rick and Morty,” a sci-fi comedy cartoon, featured the sauce in an episode, prompting a petition signed by 38,742 people to bring back the product.
McDonald’s then reintroduced the sauce in October, but its release was clouded by chaos at stores as fans protested over a lack of supply.
Following the incident, “Rick and Morty” co-creator Justin Roiland said he and the show’s team had “nothing to do with” the McDonald’s promotional stunt, adding that he was “not happy” with how it was handled.
On a website made by McDonald’s devoted to the sauce, the firm apologized over the fiasco and said it wanted to “fully make amends.”
“We did not anticipate the overnight crowds, the cross-state travel and the amazing curiosity, passion and energy fans showed,” McDonald’s said. “Our super-limited batch, though well-intentioned, clearly wasn’t near enough to meet that demand. We disappointed fans and we are sorry.”
McDonald’s will start serving Szechuan sauce on February 26.
