McDonald's workers explain how they're bracing for the return of Szechuan sauce after it previously ignited chaos in stores

• McDonald's is bringing Szechuan sauce back to menus for a limited time.
• Five workers told Insider how they're preparing for eager customers.

McDonald's is bringing back its Szechuan sauce for a limited time on March 31, but not everyone is excited.

Five McDonald's workers in five states told Insider that they're anticipating a busy launch day with potentially demanding customers. They remain anonymous to protect their employment, but their identities are known to Insider.

The dipping sauce famously appeared in an episode of "Rick and Morty" and drew in crowds of fans last time it was available in 2017 and 2018, leading to long lines, crowds, and angry customers who weren't able to try it thanks to a limited supply.

This time around, workers aim to be ready.

"I hope to be prepared for these die hard 'Rick and Morty' fans," a cashier in North Carolina told Insider. He learned from the popularity of the BTS meal that fans rush in for the offerings "like the sauce heals the sick," he told Insider.

Another McDonald's worker in Florida said that he expects launch day to be busy, but less extreme than previous releases.

"I expect some bad apples and 'Rick and Morty' zealots," he told Insider. He expects the sauce's launch to bring heavier Friday traffic on a Thursday, but he believes his crew can handle it.

Workers in Pennsylvania and Virginia each told Insider that their stores were receiving just a few boxes of the sauce, which they worried might not last.

"They could be gone in a single shift," the Pennsylvania worker said.

In some locations, employees take the sauce very seriously.

"The Szechuan sauce packets are locked in a closet that only I and my general manager can access," one California shift manager told Insider. The North Carolina worker says he and his coworkers plan to keep close tabs on remaining stocks of Szechuan sauce, and remain strict about the order limits imposed by McDonald's.

McDonald's did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about the sauce's rollout.

The Szechuan sauce will be available exclusively through the McDonald's app, where customers can purchase up to five a la carte containers, the chain said in a statement. The sauce is the latest example of McDonald's pandemic-era strategy to draw customers in with limited-time promotions that don't add complexity to the supply chain or workers' jobs.

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