Who invented McDonald’s Egg McMuffin?

Herb Peterson invented McDonald’s Egg McMuffin. Peterson was a McDonald’s franchisee in Santa Barbara, California, and developed the breakfast sandwich in the early 1970s as a portable version of eggs Benedict.

The original sandwich combined a toasted English muffin, a freshly cracked egg, Canadian bacon, and cheese. Its compact shape and recognizable ingredient combination helped McDonald’s establish breakfast as an important part of its brand identity.

McDonald’s began testing the Egg McMuffin in 1971 and introduced it more broadly in 1972. It is often confused with the later McDonald’s breakfast menu expansion, but Peterson is specifically credited with inventing the signature sandwich.