The Shamrock Shake Is Here; Spring Can’t Be Far Behind

Photo credit: McDonald’s

Shamrock Shakes, those minty-green harbingers of spring, are back. Last week, they began rolling out in 95 percent of the 14,350 McDonald’s restaurants across the United States. This week they’ll hit Canada and, you guessed it, Ireland.

“[When] Shamrock Shakes appear on the menu, it’s a better predictor of spring than Groundhog Day,” Mike Bullington, the McDonald’s archivist, told us.

But, like the groundhog’s disappearing shadow, the St. Patrick’s Day mainstay will become a sweet memory by the end of March or early April, depending on how long supplies last in particular markets, according to McDonald’s.

A vintage McDonald’s Shamrock Shake ad from the 1970s. Photo: McDonald’s 

More than 40 years after their initial launch, Shamrock Shakes remain a huge fan favorite, generating the most customer inquiries regarding availability second only to the McRib. But they also hold a significant role in McDonald’s history: The shakes helped to fund the first Ronald McDonald House, the network of home-away-from-homes that provide support for pediatric cancer patients and their families. 

by jack page

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