McMuffin
The Egg McMuffin, commonly known in the north of England as the 'McGuffin' is the signature breakfast sandwich sold by the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. The McMuffin is also a family of breakfast sandwiches in various sizes and configurations. The Egg McMuffin was invented by Herb Peterson. It established the popular breakfast on-the-go fast food trend.
Product description
In the US and Canada the standard McMuffin consists of a slice of Canadian bacon, a griddle-steamed egg, and a slice of American cheese on a toasted and buttered English muffin. The round shape of the egg is made by cooking the egg in a teflon coated ring.[1][2]
Variants
- Sausage McMuffin with Egg — A sausage patty is substituted for the Canadian bacon.
- Massive McMuffin — Ketchup, bacon, egg, American cheese and two sausage patties.
Available in New Zealand and some parts of Australia.
History
This trademarked McDonald's egg sandwich was invented in 1972.[3] Former McDonald's President Ray Kroc writes that Herb Peterson and his assistant, Donald Greadel, the operator of a Santa Barbara, California, franchise, asked Kroc to look at something, without giving details because it was:
...a crazy idea — a breakfast sandwich. It consisted of an egg that had been formed in a Teflon circle with the yolk broken, and was dressed with a slice of cheese and a slice of grilled Canadian bacon. It was served open-faced on a toasted and buttered English muffin.... The advent of the Egg McMuffin opened up a whole new area of potential business for McDonald's, the breakfast trade.[1][2]
In the 1970s, some McDonald's restaurants served Egg McMuffins all day as a promotion.[citation needed]
The Egg McMuffin is the lowest-calorie breakfast sandwich McDonald's offers. A complete Egg McMuffin has 300 calories, versus 450 or more for biscuit sandwiches and McGriddles. Removing the cheese and margarine lowers the fat level and calorie count significantly (230 calories).
Several countries serve Egg McMuffins around the clock, due to the prominent use of the egg in meals other than breakfast in those countries. US restaurants usually restrict the item to the breakfast menu.
The first Egg McMuffin was prepared for sale at the Fairview McDonald's in Goleta, California (near Santa Barbara) by Clyde W. Froehlich, probably in 1975. Mr. Froehlich is originally from Los Angeles and currently lives in Davis, CA. He was a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara at the time. A sign in the window of the Fairview McDonald's documents that the first Egg McMuffin was cooked there.
Peterson had first presented the Egg McMuffin at the Santa Barbara franchise without the knowledge of McDonald's Corporate, which at the time served only lunch and dinner at all their locations. When Corporate discovered Mr. Peterson's unauthorized breakfast offerings, it initially reprimanded him and threatened him with a number of penalties for breaking the franchise agreement.[citation needed]
Advertising
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The Massive McMuffin was introduced to coincide with the AFL (Australian Football League) and NRL (Australian National Rugby League) season of 1998, when McDonald's Australia launched the Footy Burger (now the Double Quarter Pounder), Mini Footy Burger (double Cheeseburger) and Massive McMuffin. The muffin proved so popular that some Australian stores kept the item as a permanent breakfast option.
See also
References
- ^ a b Kroc, Ray (1992). Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-92987-0.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help), p. 174 - ^ a b AP Newswire (2008-03-26). "Egg McMuffin inventor Herb Peterson dies at 89". the Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ AP Newswire (2008-03-27). "Egg McMuffin Inventor Dies At 89". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
Peterson came up with idea for the signature McDonald's breakfast item in 1972
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