Call it good marketing or just really good sauce but a McDonald’s in San Diego’s North Park area was flooded with customers Saturday waiting to get a taste of a cult favorite condiment available only for one day.
The fast food giant announced it would bring back a limited supply of its Szechuan Sauce beginning at 2 p.m. at the McDonald’s located at 2345 El Cajon Blvd. It was music to the ears of fans. The sauce was first served in 1998 with the chain's original McNuggets.
A large crowd gathered outside the restaurant earlier in the afternoon, patiently waiting to get their coveted sauce. The temperature was in the mid-80s in North Park but the dedicated crowd powered through the heat.
McDonald’s described the fan favorite as “a savory and slightly sweet sauce with hints of soy, ginger, garlic, and slight vinegar notes.”
After realizing patrons were “obsauced” with the condiment, McDonald’s produced small batches of the sauce in dipping packets.
On Saturday, the North Park location and other select McDonald’s restaurants around the U.S. planned to distribute one packet of the sauce to dine-in patrons only. The deal was, first come first serve, available only with the purchase of a four, six or 10-piece order of Buttermilk Crispy Tenders – a new battered chicken item that apparently pairs perfectly with the sauce.
As a non-edible bonus, McDonald’s was also giving away collectible dipping sauce-themed posters to patrons including one colorful artwork inspired by Szechuan Sauce and those who love it. The poster described fans of the sauce as “complex, impulsive and determined.”
“When these people set goals (or make outright demands), they tend to achieve them,” the poster read, in part. “Sometimes, their impulsivity can get them into all sorts of hijinks, but their mad genius is their portal out of trouble.”
While many fans were able to get their fix Saturday, some were not so lucky. McDonald’s apologized for this on social media.
“The best fans in the multiverse showed us what they got today. We hear you & we’re sorry not everyone could get some super-limited Szechuan,” the company posted on its Twitter feed.
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Some patrons replied to the Twitter post saying kids walked out of restaurants crying because they weren’t able to get the sauce, while others said the sauce packets were already being sold on eBay.
