How McDonald's Szechuan Sauce Became A Viral Sensation

When McDonald's introduced its Szechuan dipping sauce in 1998, it was part of the chain's promotion of the newest Disney flick, "Mulan." Available for about a month, the sauce quietly came and went without causing much noise or considerable interest. Once the promo ended, McDonald's chicken nugget consumers eased back into their barbecue and sweet and sour sauce habits. It wasn't until 2017 that people went absolutely bonkers for the Szechuan sauce (which was, at that time, long gone), and this was all due to a reference to it on an episode of "Rick and Morty."

The adult cartoon, which features the time-and space-traveling antics of a bitter, alcoholic, mad-scientist grandfather and his grandson, put the spotlight on the retired sauce in its third season, with the character Rick calling it the "Mulan McNugget sauce." The hilarious scene depicts Rick's obsession with finding it at any cost. Almost overnight after the episode aired, viewers began petitioning McDonald's to bring the sauce back. There were enough voices on social media and signatures on Change.org for the fast food giant to take notice, and it agreed to return the sauce to its menu for a very limited time. But the reaction to the return of Szechuan sauce took everyone by surprise.

In October of 2017, McDonald's announced that it would reintroduce its Szechuan sauce due to popular demand, but only in a very limited, one-day release. Unfortunately, some McDonald's locations didn't receive any sauce while others received very few packets. People around the United States showed up to the restaurants in droves seeking the viral Szechuan sauce only to find they had none. Police officers even had to be called to some locations because of the size of the crowds, and the unrest (there were physical fights in some places) that the shortage caused that day.

McDonald's quickly apologized for its serious underestimation, and announced that it would bring the sauce back again in winter of 2018, in larger supply and for a longer period of time. The company made good on its promise, but the reviews weren't all-around glowing; many people agreed that the hype of the product didn't match the actual taste of the Szechuan sauce, saying it didn't taste how they remembered it, calling it ho-hum at best. But, remember, upon its initial release in 1998, there was never any hoopla about how good the sauce was; this was a classic example of many people merely wanting to get their hands on it for either nostalgic or trendiness' sake.

This isn't to say that the sauce was necessarily bad, although the chain's Anime-flavored dipping sauce might be a better choice. Szechuan sauce was thick, dark brown in color, with some vinegar, garlic, soy, and ginger in it. It was described as a little sweet, a little sour, with some sesame nuttiness. It gained enough of a fan base for McDonald's to bring the sauce back again in 2022, but this time around, it was only available to those who ordered through the restaurant's app. As to whether or not the chain will offer the sauce in the future, we can only guess. What's clear is that Szechuan sauce's success can be attributed not to the flavor, but to being a pop culture phenomenon.

The McNugget sauce was never a jaw dropping lesson in new, unprecedented flavor like McDonald's saucy TikTok hack was, but rather a testament to the power of suggestion. Some might say the sauce is famous for being famous, a characteristic most often attributed to reality television stars. While it came and went in 1998 without much pomp, it merely took one wacky cartoon character to talk it up almost 20 years later to pique the interest of the masses –- and boom –- an icon was born.