McDonald's introduced the first nationally available breakfast menu in the United States.
McDonald's began expanding breakfast nationwide in 1976, after regional tests and the success of breakfast products such as the Egg McMuffin. The menu helped turn fast-food restaurants into destinations for morning meals rather than primarily lunch and dinner businesses.
The Egg McMuffin had been introduced earlier, in 1972, but an individual sandwich launch is different from the creation of a nationally available breakfast menu. McDonald's broader breakfast rollout made morning service a major part of the chain's business.
Other chains later developed extensive breakfast offerings, including Burger King and Wendy's. McDonald's is credited with making fast-food breakfast a mainstream national category in the United States.