By Larry Muhammad, The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – St. Patrick’s Day is almost upon us, and not a single McDonald’s here is offering the seasonal mint ‘Shamrock’ milkshake.
Plenty of people have taken their disappointment to the Internet – to a site called shamrockshake.com and a Facebook fan page at facebook.com/shamrock shake – where things are getting a little, ahem, frosty. The online anger only grew when commentators noted that the Shamrock Shake could be found elsewhere.
“I have lived here for three years and haven’t been able to find these delicious nuggets of joy that I grew up with yet,” Kim Jurewicz said. “What is wrong with this city?”
Shamrock shake fans are getting organized, as did fans of the McRib, who developed a locator at kleincast.com/maps/mcrib.php. At shamrockshake.com, you can find a list of ‘Latest sightings,” but it’s not exhaustive.
Managers of several area McDonald’s referred us to corporate headquarters for comment, while daring to suggest that the Shamrock Shake might not be as popular as ardent admirers believe.
The trail led to Pam Fisher, director of marketing for McDonald’s Restaurants of Kentuckiana, which includes stores here.
“Some flavors of shakes perform better in different markets,” Fisher said. “I would love to hear that the local community actually wants it. If they wanted it, we would sell it. That’s what happened in Indianapolis. We had a radio station going live from location to location asking for the Shamrock Shake and we got lots of calls.”
Don’t tell Erin Thompson, a hotel housekeeping manager in Elizabethtown, Ky, that no one wants the Shamrock Shake. The Minnesota native is jealous that her friends back in the Twin Cities can sip Shamrock Shakes while she would have to make a trip to Lebanon Junction, Ky., to get her fix.
“My best friend in Minnesota has had three or four already. She’s coming to visit this week, and well, she wishes she could bring me one – but you can’t really fly with a Shamrock Shake,” Thompson said.
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