What was the name of McDonald’s first nationally promoted breakfast menu item?

McDonald’s first nationally promoted breakfast menu item was the Egg McMuffin.

Herb Peterson created the sandwich in 1971 while operating a McDonald’s franchise in Santa Barbara, California. Its English muffin, toasted Canadian bacon, poached egg, and cheese were arranged to resemble an eggs Benedict sandwich while being practical for takeaway service.

The item was tested locally before McDonald’s made breakfast a broader part of its restaurant identity. The Egg McMuffin became the signature product of the new breakfast business and helped establish McDonald’s as a place customers could visit in the morning.

The Egg McMuffin is often confused with later breakfast products such as the Sausage McMuffin or McGriddle. Those are separate menu items. The important branding milestone is that Peterson’s sandwich gave McDonald’s a nationally recognizable breakfast name and format.