NEW YORK — McDonald's Corp. is making its Shamrock Shake available nationally for the first time.
The fast food chain is set to announce Wednesday that the minty green milkshake will be available in all 14,000 U.S. restaurants through March 25. The suggested price for the shake is $1.89, although prices will differ by market.
Since the shake was first introduced in 1970, McDonald's says it has left it up to local market operators to decide whether to offer the seasonal treat in the weeks leading up to St. Patrick's Day on March 17. That has helped fuel a cult-like following of the green-colored shake. Last year, McDonald's said about half its stores offered the shake.
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Loyal fans may notice some changes, however; McDonald's last year began serving all its shakes in clear plastic cups. All shakes are also now topped with whipped cream and a cherry to give them a more dessert-like appearance.
The Shamrock Shake weighs in at 540 calories and 16 grams of fat for a small, or 840 calories and 24 grams of fat for a large, according to nutritional information on the McDonald's website. The shake is made of reduced fat vanilla ice cream and syrup.
For the past two years, McDonald's also offered its McRib sandwich nationally; the boneless barbecue pork sandwich previously hadn't been sold nationally since 1994.
A representative for McDonald's, Ashlee Yingling, said the decision to offer the shake nationally was based on customer feedback. The Shamrock Shake is also available in Ireland.
A national ad campaign for the shake will begin later this month.
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