Who created McDonald's Quarter Pounder in Fremont, California?

Al Bernardin created McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in Fremont, California.

Bernardin was a McDonald’s franchise owner and former vice president of product development. After moving to Fremont in 1970 and acquiring two company-owned restaurants, he experimented with a larger hamburger aimed at customers who wanted a higher proportion of meat to bun. He introduced the Quarter Pounder at his Fremont restaurants in 1971.

The burger’s name refers to the uncooked patty’s approximate weight of one quarter of a pound. Bernardin promoted the launch with the slogan “Today Fremont, tomorrow the world,” and the product’s success led McDonald’s to add it to the national American menu in 1973.

A common mix-up is crediting Ray Kroc, Jim Delligatti, or Fred Turner. Kroc helped build McDonald’s into a major corporation, Delligatti is associated with the Big Mac, and Turner was an important McDonald’s executive, but Bernardin is the canonical answer for creating the Quarter Pounder. The sandwich later developed regional names, including “Royal” in some countries that do not commonly use pounds.