Serious Eats
Herb Peterson, Egg McMuffin Inventor, Dies at 89
It's with sadness that I write this post, as it's to inform you that the man who invented the Egg McMuffin has died. Herb Peterson, age 89, passed away Tuesday in Santa Barbara, California, where he operated six McDonald's.
The inspiration for Peterson's 1972 creation was the dish eggs Benedict, which he was very partial to, a company spokesman said. Interestingly enough, the now ubiquitous breakfast sandwich was first served open faced on a buttered English muffin.
I was just thinking about Egg McMuffins Tuesday morning—since I happened to be eating a Sausage Egg McMuffin at the time. As I finished the last few bites, I was struck by how well-crafted the sandwich is. All the textures seem to work perfectly together. The muffin offers enough chewy sponginess to keep things interesting but is soft enough that your bite-through experience is somewhat consistent with that of the egg and sausage. And the egg-sausage-cheese flavor combo—well, how can you deny the tastiness of that? It's easily my favorite McDonald's menu item, and for that, I have to tip my hat to and pour some coffee on the curb for Mr. Peterson. Rest in peace, good man.