It’s a busy morning at the McDonald’s on Fairview Avenue in Goleta. People are driving through and walking in to order breakfast. One of the most popular items being ordered is the Egg McMuffin. It should be. The legendary breakfast sandwich was born here, thanks to the creative mind of Herb Peterson.
"We moved to Santa Barbara in 1970 to open up the McDonald's you're standing in, Unit 1103. We didn't serve breakfast. We didn't open until 10:30. And, my dad saw this need. Mothers are starting to go back to work, it was an early 70's thing, and he loved food...he loved the Eggs Benedict," said David Peterson, who is Herb’s son. "He was a foodie. He was friends with Julia Child. He came up with the poor man's eggs Eggs Benedict...a hand held Eggs Benedict."
He said his dad experimented with the concept. He came up with an idea to use a ring on a stove to keep the egg from spreading out as it cooked, so it would be like a patty after it was fried. He got English muffins from the East Cost, because they weren't common in California at the time.
"We got Canadian Bacon from Oscar Meyer. He didn't know what to do with the Hollandaise sauce, so he just used American cheese. He played around with it, and came up with what he called the 'Fast Break Breakfast' (with coffee or orange juice) and we sold it under the radar, and didn't tell McDonald's about it for about six months," said Peterson.
But, it was one thing to serve the breakfast sandwiches at Peterson’s McDonald's in Santa Barbara County. He had a bigger vision for the creation. He reached out to the chain’s CEO.
"He invited Ray Kroc to visit us. He was a friend, and had a ranch in Santa Barbara County," said Peterson. "My dad was in the restaurant, with a chef's hat on, and I was there, and Ray had four Fast Break Breakfasts and loved them, and said 'Herb, we've got to do this!" Peterson said two month later his dad was in Chicago, in front of the Board of Directors, with his little egg ring, and chef's costume, and made them for the Directors, and from there it was history.
He said after trying one of the breakfast sandwiches, the wife of a McDonald’s executive came up with the Egg McMuffin name.
Peterson said today, breakfast is 35% of McDonald's business.
Many credit the Egg McMuffin with opening fast food restaurants to a whole new world, the breakfast market.
"I think the Egg McMuffin changed the way the world eats breakfast," said Peterson.
In the kitchen, the morning crew is busy making Egg McMuffins, as well as newer menu items like Sausage McMuffins. The team looks as choreographed as the Lakers, as its members move around each other in the kitchen, preparing different items for customers.
Manager Caroline Ramirez says it takes about four minutes to make an Egg McMuffin, so they are constantly cooking them up to prevent waiting. They prepare around 100 a morning.
"We have a target that we have to have the order ready in 45 seconds," said Ramirez. "We always have someone in the toast area, preparing the muffins, someone with the eggs, and someone is assembling the sandwich."
Because McDonald’s uses so many eggs, it has its own suppliers, and so far has escaped the current egg crisis. The chain has been able to hold the line on Egg McMuffin prices.
Out in the dining room, Evelyn Pazos is eating one of the Egg McMuffins which just came out of the kitchen. "I've been having Egg McMuffins since the day I can remember," said Pazos. "I'm a big fan of breakfast. The bun is like crunchy because of the muffin itself. The flavors from the Canadian bacon, and having that cheese in there...it's like a little melting pot...it's such a flavorful mix."
Herb Peterson passed away in 2008, but he’s still remembered at this Goleta McDonald’s owned by his family. There’s a giant photo of Peterson on the wall, and in a display case, one of the awards he received for the creation.
"This is the first store Egg McMuffin was made at. I probably have three Egg McMuffins a week. Probably every time I bite into one, I think this is my dad's baby," said David Peterson.
Peterson said you can celebrate the 50th anniversary of the national rollout of the Egg McMuffin March 2. McDonald’s is offering them for $1 each if you buy them through the McDonald's app.
"The Egg McMuffin is still kind of the pillar (of McDonald's breakfasts). The Sausage McMuffin is right there with it, and we also have pancakes, we have oatmeal, scrambled eggs," said Peterson. "But the Egg McMuffin is still the crown jewel."
Peterson said this Fairview McDonald’s has its own special tribute to his dad, one customers can share. It’s the only McDonald’s where you can buy an Egg McMuffin any time of the day or not. You can have an Egg McMuffin for dinner, or even a late night snack. He thinks his dad would love it.
