McDonald's McFoods

Fun Facts About McDonald's McFoods

• The Filet-O-Fish was invented in 1962 by a Cincinnati franchise owner. He wanted to cater to Catholic customers who avoid meat on Friday's during Lent. Today, about 23% of Filet-O-Fish annual sales happen during that season.
• Chicken McNuggets come in four distinct shapes (Boot, Bell, Ball, and Bow Tie) to make them more fun and appealing, especially to kids. The standardized shapes also help ensure consistency in cooking times.
• The Happy Meal was launched in 1979 and made McDonald's a leading toy distributor. The brand gives out over 1.5 billion toys each year in these colorful boxes.
• The McLobster roll is most popular in — you guessed it — New England and Atlantic Canada because of local abundance of lobster, especially during the summer months.
• The McFlurry was invented by a Canadian franchise owner in New Brunswick in 1995. The unique square-ended spoon doubles as the mixer for the machine that makes the dessert.
• The McRib's limited-time availability is a deliberate marketing strategy. It's artificial scarcity creates massive hype and fan demand whenever it returns.
• The Shamrock Shake debuted in 1970 and was originally lemon-lime flavored. It then shifted to just green-dyed vanilla in 1973. Ten years later mint-flavored syrup was introduced, creating the beloved shake we know today.
• McDonald's huge breakfast business effectively started with the introduction of the Egg McMuffin. Launched in 1971, this English muffin with Canadian bacon, cheese and round egg, was originally inspired by Eggs Benedict.
• The Big Mac was created in 1967 by a Pittsburgh-area fanchisee for local steelworkers. It was originally going to be called the "Blue Ribbon Burger" or "The Aristocrat" before a 21-year-old secretary suggested the famous name.