The simple fried fish patty sandwich with cheese and tartar sauce has been around longer than the Big Mac and is one of the biggest non-burger success stories in the history of the franchise.
Although the fish sandwich has held its own on the McDonald's menu for over 50 years, there are still a lot of things about the Filet-O-Fish that you probably do not know. And while it has remained a popular menu item for over 50 years, it was created out of necessity by one desperate franchisee. The groundbreaking idea to add a mouthwatering fried fish sandwich to the menu of a burger joint was first introduced by Cincinnati-area franchisee, Lou Groen , in His Ohio restaurant was located in an area of the city where over two-thirds of the population were practicing Catholics and didn't eat meat on Fridays.
Groen realized he was losing most of his Friday business to another area franchise, Frisch's Big Boy, which had a fish sandwich on the menu. Groen knew that he needed to act fact to be competitive and save his bleeding profit margin.
Just like that, the Filet-O-Fish was born. When Groen came up with the idea of a breaded fish sandwich, he knew it would be a winner — but he had a major hurdle to cross first. He took his idea to McDonald's founder Ray Kroc in hopes of getting his new sandwich on the menu. Kroc, however, wasn't excited about the idea of having fishy-smelling restaurants. Kroc challenged Groen to a competition against his own meat-free sandwich idea, the Hula Burger — a slice of pineapple and cheese on a bun.
Today, the Filet-O-Fish is a popular menu item all year long, but it's really a star for Catholics — 25 percent of the sandwich sales occurred during Lent in If you were wondering or worried about just what you're eating when you bite into your Filet-O-Fish, you can breathe easy.
You may be quick to assume the fast food fillet is a mishmash of questionable non-fish ingredients, but there's nothing artificial happening here — the Filet-O-Fish has always been made with real fish. The first Filet-O-Fish sandwiches were made with halibut until McDonald's started using cod shortly after in an effort to save money. In case you needed another reason to feel good about eating your next Filet-O-Fish, you should know that McDonald's is doing its part to maintain the stability of the fish population as well a healthy environment.
In McDonald's announced that they would source all of their fish in the United States from a single sustainable Pollock fishery. You know, those jingles that slither their way into your subconscious and take over your brain so that you can't stop singing along with them. But when it comes to the Filet-O-Fish, the marketing campaigns haven't been nearly as memorable — at least for the most part.
The sandwich launched in the early s and soon gained the simple slogan, "The fish that catches people. O' Fish to help them sell their breaded fish sandwiches. In , McDonald's did away with Phil A. O' Fish for good in favor of their "Food for thought" campaign. One of the best things about the Filet-O-Fish — besides the fish, of course — is definitely the bun.
A major detail that sets the Filet-O-Fish apart from its beef-based counterparts at McDonald's is that unlike the other sandwiches on the menu, the fish sandwich is served on a bun that is steamed, which makes the bread lighter and fluffier than the toasted buns used for most of the other classic sandwiches like the Big Mac.
But don't worry, even if the Filet-O-Fish isn't exactly your thing, you can still give the steamed bun a try by using this amazing McDonald's hack.
If you want to experience all of that light, fluffy goodness for yourself on one of McDonald's other sandwiches, just ask that your sandwich be made with a steamed bun when you order.
It really does make everything better. If you don't mind the fact that McDonald's uses pasteurized processed American cheese on the Filet-O-Fish, you may have wondered why they only give you a half slice — surely the corporate giant that is McDonald's can afford to give you a whole piece, right? But Kroc was willing to compromise: On Good Friday in , both the Hula Burger and the Filet-O-Fish sandwiches would appear on the menu in selected locations—whichever sandwich sold the most would win.
The final score? Hula Burger: 6, Filet-O-Fish: The company has gone through plenty of advertisements for the sandwich, but one character in particular, remains somewhat elusive—Paul barely recalls the campaign. A cartoon by the name of Phil A.
It did so well on television and on YouTube, reaching over one million views in that the corporation sold the singing fish commercially. Whether the fish was sustainable, however, was up for debate. The mini-morsels of battered and fried Atlantic Pollock are available through March in Philadelphia region restaurants.
Though, if you ask the Groen family, Lou always said his orignal halibut-based recipe was better. Today, Paul owns 12 restaurants in Northern Kentucky along a mile stretch of Interstate 75 and plans to pass the family business to two of his children. Sign up for our free newsletter to receive the best stories from Smithsonian. Inside the Rise of the Game-Changing 'Chipotlane'. Business Advice. Best Practices for Restaurant Text Marketers. Customer Experience.
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