# McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce

> McDonald’s promised 20 million cups after fans queued for sauce and stores ran out.

- Owner: McDonald’s
- Kind: Moment
- Sector: Food & beverage
- Seed date: 2017-04-01
- Observed peak date: 2017-10-07
- Date basis: Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum.
- Spread Score: 38 (Niche, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Fandom mobilisation, Scarcity drop, Real-world spectacle, Resale market, Press loop

## Summary

A Rick and Morty joke prompted fan petitions and recipe videos. McDonald’s gifted sauce, then staged a limited return that ran short and drew protests. It apologised and announced 20 million cups for a wider return.

## Timeline

- 2017-04-01 — Adult Swim (TV) — Adult Swim aired a Rick and Morty episode in which Rick demanded the discontinued sauce.
- 2017-04-02 — Gabriel Cohen (Open web) — Gabriel Cohen published a petition to restore the sauce at 01:53 UTC.
- 2017-04-02 — Justin Roiland (X) — Justin Roiland shared Cohen’s petition and asked followers to help make it happen.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/mcdonalds-szechuan-sauce

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce.” Case HIS-01345. Spread Score v1.2: 38/100. Updated 2026-10-22. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01345