McDonald’s fans left stunned after realizing a surprising religious background behind Filet-O-Fish
McDonald’s fans have been left dumbfounded after learning why the fast food chain’s Filet-O-Fish burger was originally created.
In 1962, Le Grieon—who owned a franchise in Cincinnati, Ohio—decided he needed to add a new item to the menu after sales dropped 70 percent.
Because his restaurant was located in a predominantly Catholic area of the city, the businessman noticed that his restaurant was particularly quiet on Fridays.
This is because some branches of the Christian church avoid eating meat on this particular day of the week.
Talking to Show menu In 2015, Lou’s son Paul showed how business had blossomed for their competitor Frisch’s Big Boy – which had a fish sandwich on the menu.
Pictured: McDonald’s Philly or Fishburger. The sandwich was created by franchisee Lou Greon in 1962 to combat declining sales
Determined to lure customers back to his branch, Law developed his own fried fish pie and tartar sauce—which he layered on a classic McDonald’s bun and added a slice of American cheese.
But while Lou’s Filet-O-Fish proved to be an instant hit with its customers, McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc wasn’t sold on the idea.
In his 1977 memoir, Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonalds, the businessman said he didn’t like Lou’s burgers because he was “born out of despair.”
What’s more, Lou’s son, Paul, said Ray also assumed that the smell of Filet-O-Fish would deter customers from coming to restaurants.
In his television interview, he said, “(Ray’s) words were, ‘I’m not going to put fish in my restaurants and breathe in the stench!'”
However, the businessman eventually won out when Lou’s fish sandwich outsold a meatless burger on the first Friday of Lent in 1963.
That year, Ray introduced to stores across the United States the Hula Burger – which consisted of a slice of grilled pineapple and cheese between a regular bun.
According to Paul, Lou sold 350 Filet-A-Fish burgers on Friday — while only six customers bought a Hula burger.
The fast-food chain has been serving its filet-au-fish burger for more than 50 years and Law’s son Paul says it’s still popular, especially on Good Fridays.
In recent years, McDonald’s fans have shared their surprise at learning the burger’s back story on Twitter
On the back of this success, Ray and Lou predicted that Fridays would become as successful sales days as Saturdays and Sundays.
In the more than 50 years since Filet-o-Fish was created, Paul — who also works at McDonald’s — says the burger is still very popular now.
He added, “It is a very successful sandwich in its own right throughout the year but in Lent and on Friday in particular, it is very much the same.”
In recent years, McDonald’s fans have shared their amazement at learning the back story of the popular menu item.
“Grateful to all the pioneers in the industry,” someone exclaimed.
Another added: ‘When I was a kid, we used to go every Friday to have filet mignon at McDonald’s.
“We weren’t religious, that’s what everyone did.”
Meanwhile, a third said, “I’m not religious but I have to eat filet mignon on Good Friday!”
