Herb Peterson
{{Short description|American businessman (1919–2008)}}
{{distinguish|Herb Pedersen}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Herb Petersen
|image = HerbPetersonImage.jpg
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_name = Herbert Ralph Petersen
|birth_date = {{birth date|1919|1|5}}
|birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|2008|3|25|1919|1|5}}
|death_place = Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
|occupation = Businessman, Entrepreneur, early McDonald's restaurant franchisee
|known_for = Created the Egg McMuffin sandwich (1971)
|spouse = Barbara (?-2008), his death
|children = 3 daughters, and 1 son
}}
Herbert Ralph Peterson (January 5, 1919 – March 25, 2008) was an American fast food advertising executive and food scientist most known for being the inventor of the McDonald's Egg McMuffin in 1972.{{cite news |title=Egg McMuffin inventor Herb Peterson dies in California at 89 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/27/america/Obit-Peterson.php|agency= Associated Press |publisher=International Herald Tribune |date=2008-03-27 |access-date=2008-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409110508/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/27/america/Obit-Peterson.php |archive-date=2008-04-09}}Date of birth, and that born in U.S.A., from [http://www.genealogue.com/2008/03/genealogue-challenge-123.html Genealogue Challenge #123] 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.{{cite web
|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-14348157.html
|title=The scoop on the egg McMuffin
|author=Steve Weiss
|date=June 1993
|access-date=2014-08-21
|publisher=Restaurants & Institutions
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821191306/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-14348157.html
|archive-date=2014-08-21
|url-status=dead
}}
Life and career
Born and raised in Chicago, Petersen, who served in the United States Marine Corps, where he attained the rank of Major in three years during World War II, began his career with McDonald's as vice president at D'Arcy Advertising in Chicago, which was McDonald's in-house advertising arm, Peterson coined McDonald's first national advertising slogan, "Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day."[http://adage.com/article/people-players/mcdonald-s-innovator-dies-89/125992/ 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.]
He later became a franchise co-owner and the operator of six McDonald's restaurants in and around Santa Barbara, California.{{cite web
|url=http://www.pantagraph.com/business/egg-mcmuffin-inventor-dies-at/article_c61aae53-c611-5abb-a621-5a540a604c33.html
|title=Egg McMuffin inventor dies at 89
|author=Denise Petski
|date=2008-03-27
|access-date=2014-08-21
|agency=Associated Press
|publisher=Pantagraph.com
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140821191927/http://www.pantagraph.com/business/egg-mcmuffin-inventor-dies-at/article_c61aae53-c611-5abb-a621-5a540a604c33.html
|archive-date=2014-08-21
|url-status=live
}}
Peterson developed the Egg McMuffin, which has become a McDonald's breakfast signature item, in 1972. Peterson was said to like eggs benedict, 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 consisting of an egg formed in a Teflon circle with the yolks broken, topped with Canadian bacon and a slice of cheese. The Egg McMuffin was served as an open faced sandwich on a buttered and toasted English muffin.
The Egg McMuffin was created and first sold at a McDonald's in Goleta, California (Fairview Avenue location with placard outside marking the location) {{cite web |url= https://cal170.library.ca.gov/january-31-1972-breakfast-to-go-on-a-toasted-bun/ |title= Breakfast-To-Go On a Toasted Bun|work= CA170 |author=Greg Lucas |date= 27 December 2019|access-date=October 30, 2022 }} which Peterson co-owned with his son, David Peterson.
Death
Peterson died in Santa Barbara on March 25, 2008, at the age of 89.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8708766?source=rss |title=Egg McMuffin inventor dies at 89 |date=2008-03-26| access-date=2008-03-27|publisher=Los Angeles Daily News}} He was survived by his wife, son and three daughters. A memorial service for Peterson was held on April 23, 2008, in Montecito, California.
Herb Peterson is the grandfather of professional surfer Lakey Peterson.
References
{{Reflist|2}}
{{McDonald's}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Herb}}
Category:American food industry business executives
Category:American food scientists
Category:Businesspeople from Chicago
Category:Businesspeople from Santa Barbara, California
Category:American advertising executives
Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II