A Bite of Business History: The Egg McMuffin Turns 45

 by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

The Keating Files – June 5, 2021

 

This month marks the 45th anniversary of the national rollout of the sandwich that saved McDonald’s and changed fast food forever ... The Egg McMuffin.

 

Before 1976, it was almost unheard of in America to have breakfast anywhere but in your own kitchen. Cereal was the most popular choice. If you ran late and had to leave without sitting down to eat, you were pretty much out of luck.

 

In 1972, a McDonald’s franchisee in California came up with the idea of an open faced breakfast meal - his version of Eggs Benedict. McDonald’s owner Ray Kroc loved the taste, but wanted it made into a sandwich you could eat quickly and easily with one hand only. 

The company spent another four years getting it just right before introducing it across America. The Egg McMuffin (so named by Patty Turner) was a smash-hit classic right away. 

 

McDonald’s sales had been lagging at that point, as more and more fast food chains opened up. They all generally didn’t start serving food until 11AM. The Egg McMuffin gave McDonalds a three hour jump start on the day. Competitors tried to match that.

 

Burger King - the first to copy McDonalds, with their Croissanwich - didn’t start serving breakfast until 1983, and everyone else followed them.

 

Today, breakfast sales account for more than 50% of fast food revenue. It’s estimated that one out of every four people eat a fast food breakfast at least once a week.

 

Though fast food is often thought of as unhealthy or overly processed, the Egg McMuffin is not so bad. 

 

It’s made with a real egg that is poached and not fried. It has a small circle of Canadian bacon, a single slice of American cheese, and real butter. Together, this totals to 290 calories, 12 grams of fat with about six of those grams coming from saturated fat, 17 grams of protein (34 percent), and 29 grams of carbs (10 percent.) It’s also the only egg item on McDonald’s menu made with freshly cracked eggs from a shell, not processed.

 

McDonald’s, now one of the biggest mass purchasers of eggs in the world, finally made breakfast meals an all-day thing in 2015. As soon as they did, their sales doubled.

 

Amazing how a change of cultural habits can come from one simple idea.

 

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Chris Lucas is an actor, writer, something of a cultural historian, and the author of Top Disney: 100 Top Ten Lists of the Best of Disney, from the Man to the Mouse and Beyond.

 

On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy Ray’s recent discussion with Chris Lucas about his career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here!

Among the Big Issues? Wendy’s Breakfast Blows Past McDonald’s

by Ray Keating

The Keating Files – March 4, 2020

Sure, there’s a lot of stuff going on and grabbing our attention. But for a few moments, forget election-year politics, economic uncertainty, a volatile stock market, and other troubles. It’s time for all of us – whether on the left, on the right or in the middle – to unite behind breakfast at Wendy’s.

Yes, I said breakfast at Wendy’s. Among leading fast-food establishments, Wendy’s has skyrocketed to the front of the pack. Move over, McDonald’s – or more accurately, get the heck out of the way.

Wendy’s breakfast menu went national on Monday (March 2), and after sampling assorted items, my immediate response was: What took so long?

Now, let’s understand that fast-food breakfasts (or lunches and dinners, for that matter) are not going to energize you for the day, or score very high on the super-healthy-food index. But if you’re looking for the occasional quick, comfort-food breakfast, then Wendy’s rocks it.

The Breakfast Baconator is nothing less than a morning beast, with, as Wendy’s explains, “grilled sausage, American cheese, Applewood smoked bacon, a fresh-cracked grade A egg, (deep breath) more cheese and more bacon all covered in swiss cheese sauce.” It’s freakin’ delicious, and the nicely seasoned, accompanying potatoes, and a drink, make for a delicious combo. My advice: Savor it, and then go back to bed for a nap.

Next on the breakfast hit parade is the Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant. Chicken as part of breakfast I believe is a southern thing, and if so, thanks to all of my friends in the South. God bless you. This mix of chicken breast, bacon and maple butter makes for a sweet-and-savory morning delight.

The Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit also ranks as tasty, with a nice combination of chicken breast and maple honey butter on a buttermilk biscuit. I’m a sucker for a good biscuit. The problem is when they’re too dry. That was not the case with Wendy’s. For good measure, the Bacon, Egg & Swiss Croissant beats out other establishments’ basic morning sandwiches.

It’s really not surprising that Wendy’s has done well entering the breakfast market given that their burgers and chicken sandwiches during the rest of the day rank far superior compared to, for example, McDonald’s and Burger King. Although, yes, McDonald’s still has the best fries.

I always thought it was interesting that Wendy’s did the square hamburgers. On the company’s website, it’s noted: “Wendy's became known for square hamburgers, made from fresh, never-frozen beef, that hang over the bun, because we don’t cut corners on quality.” I like that, and now they’re bringing some quality to the fast-food breakfast.

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Ray Keating is a columnist, an economist, a novelist (his latest novels are The Traitor: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, which is the 12^thbook in the series, and the second edition of Root of All Evil? A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel with a new Author Introduction), a nonfiction author (among his recent works is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know), a podcaster, and an entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own.