Nowadays, the sandwich is iconic, and responsible for a whole bunch of piscine imitators . Business Insider's Mary Hanbury reported that the Filet-O-Fish is a massive hit during Lent, when many Catholics fast and abstain from eating meat on Fridays.
But the sandwich's enduring success contrasts with its floundering start. Former McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc initially thought that he had bigger fish to fry when Cincinnati franchise owner Lou Groen first proposed the idea in 1962.
Here's a look at the early history of the Filet-O-Fish, which owes its briny existence to Cincinnati-based Roman Catholics and the fact that most people don't find pineapple-and-cheese sandwiches all that appealing:
After seeing a McDonalds ad in a magazine, Groen opened his first golden-arched restaurant in Cincinnati in 1959. He also purchased the franchise rights for the city and northern Kentucky.
McDonalds was far from the only burger joint on the block in those days, and the market was crowded and competitive.
Before the Second Vatican Council took place in the mid-1960s, Roman Catholics were supposed to abstain from eating meat on Fridays.
As it happened, Groens hamburger-centric eatery happened to be located in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood.
Groens son Paul told The List Show that the restaurant was really beginning to struggle because his father wasnt doing any business on Fridays.
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Meanwhile, the Cincinnati-based Frischs Big Boy chain was clobbering McDonalds by offering a fish sandwich.
In his memoir Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonalds, Kroc wrote that the idea for the Filet-O-Fish was born of desperation. Groen put together a prototype in 1961.
But Kroc hated the idea. He described his initial reaction in his book: Hell no! I dont care if the Pope himself comes to Cincinnati. He can eat hamburgers like everybody else. We are not going to stink up our restaurants with any of your damned fish.
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But McDonalds executives Fred Turner and Nick Karos disagreed. Groen ended up convincing them that hed either need to start selling fish sandwiches or his store.
So Kroc relented, and food technologist Al Bernardin went to work planning out the new sandwich.
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McDonalds had to figure out factors like cooking time, breading type, and the thickness of the filet. After considering using halibut, the eatery went with cod.
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But Kroc had a problem with the branding, which he said brought back too many childhood memories of cod liver oil. Instead, they called it North Atlantic whitefish.
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One of Groens young employees sparked another innovation adding cheese.
Kroc followed suit and decided to try the sandwich with half a slice of cheese. He found it delicious.
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But the Filet-O-Fish still had one last hurdle to overcome. Kroc decided that hed determine the sandwichs fate through a contest. The Filet-O-Fish would face off with his own idea, the Hula Burger.
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The plan was that the Hula Burger, grilled pineapple and two slices of cheese on a toasted bun, and the Filet-O-Fish would be released in a few locations. Sales would determine the winner.
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The showdown came about on Good Friday 1962, according to Dann Woellert, author of Historic Restaurants of Cincinnati: The Queen Citys Tasty History.
350 people bought Groens new fish sandwich. Only six people purchased Krocs creation.
Kroc wrote that Groen often teased him about the Hula Burgers defeat. He added that hed often still eat his delicious pineapple-and-cheese sandwich at home.
The fish sandwich had a limited debut in 1963, and was an immediate hit with customers. In 1965, McDonalds decided to add it to the menu nationwide, billing it the fish that catches people.
The item also ended up being a cash cow for Groen. In the years following the Filet-O-Fishs debut, he built 43 franchise locations in Cincinnati, hired 3,000 people, and began raking in annual sales of $60 million.
In his book, Kroc said he told Catholic members of his team: You fellows just watch. Now that weve invested in all this equipment to handle fish, the Pope will change the rules.
He guessed right. After the Second Vatican Council ended in 1965, the Roman Catholic Church slackened its rules on fasting. Meat on Friday was allowed, except during Lent.
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