Herbert Ralph Peterson (January 5, 1919 – March 25, 2008) was an American fast food advertising executive and

food scientist Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the development ...

most known for being the inventor of the

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

Egg McMuffin in 1972. The breakfast business that he pioneered with this item had grown to an estimated $4–5 billion in annual revenues for the fast food restaurant chain McDonald's by 1993.

Life and career

Born and raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Petersen, who served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, where he attained the rank of Major in three years during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, began his career with McDonald's as vice president at D'Arcy Advertising in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, which was McDonald's in-house

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

arm, Peterson coined McDonald's first national advertising slogan, "Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day."McDonald's Innovator Dies at 89: Herb Peterson Created Egg McMuffin and Ronald McDonald, By Emily Bryson York. Published on March 27, 2008, for Ad Age.com, accessed 8/15/2014.
/ref> He later became a franchise co-owner and the operator of six McDonald's restaurants in and around

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

. Peterson developed the Egg McMuffin, which has become a McDonald's breakfast signature item, in 1972. Peterson was said to like

eggs benedict Eggs Benedict is a common American breakfast or brunch dish, consisting of two halves of an English muffin, each topped with Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. It was popularized in New York City. Origin and history There a ...

, so he worked to develop a breakfast item which was similar to it for the fast food chain. Peterson eventually came up with the Egg McMuffin, which was an

egg sandwich An egg sandwich is a sandwich with some kind of cooked egg filling. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, omeltte, sliced boiled eggs and egg salad (a mix of chopped cooked egg and mustard and mayonnaise) are popular options. In the fifth case, it may be ...

consisting of an egg formed in a

Teflon Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemo ...

circle with the yolks broken, topped with

Canadian bacon ''Canadian Bacon'' is a 1995 comedy film written, produced, and directed by Michael Moore which satirizes Canada–United States relations along the Canada–United States border. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Alan Alda, John Candy ...

and a slice of cheese. The Egg McMuffin was served as an open faced sandwich on a buttered and toasted

English muffin An English muffin is a small, round and flat yeast-leavened (sometimes sourdough) bread which is commonly round and tall. It is generally sliced horizontally and served toasted.David, Elizabeth (1977). ''English Bread and Yeast Cookery''. Lo ...

. The Egg McMuffin was created and first sold at a McDonald's in Goleta, California (Fairview Avenue location with placard outside marking the location) which Peterson co-owned with his son, David Peterson.

Death

Peterson died in Santa Barbara on March 25, 2008, at the age of 89. He was survived by his wife, son and three daughters. A

memorial service A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

for Peterson was held on April 23, 2008, in Montecito, California. Herb Peterson is the grandfather of professional surfer Lakey Peterson.

References

1919 births 2008 deaths American food industry business executives American food scientists McDonald's people Businesspeople from Chicago People from Santa Barbara, California American advertising executives United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American businesspeople Burials at Santa Barbara Cemetery {{food-bio-stub