Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
With Lent underway, many are honoring the observance by abstaining from meat.
This season marks the 63rd anniversary of the Filet-O-Fish. In 1962, an Ohio McDonald’s owner operator created the Filet-O-Fish to allow those in his community an option to other locations that offered non-meat alternatives during Lent.
Franchisee Lou Groen invented the Filet-O-Fish at his restaurant located in Cincinnati on West North Bend Road, which was the first McDonald’s in Ohio. Groen Convinced McDonald’s to test the breaded whitefish sandwich. Today, Groen’s grandchildren Grant Groen and Erica Shadoin own and operate 30 McDonald’s locations in the Cincinnati area. Shadoin gets to lay claim as the owner of the location where the Filet-O-Fish was invented.
“The Filet-O-Fish wasn’t accepted at first by McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, who thought the Hula Burger, a sandwich made with pineapple would help mitigate some of the sales losses that heavily Catholic areas experienced during Lent,” said Shadoin. “Kroc’s Hula Burger soon went up against the Filet-O-Fish and whichever item sold more on a certain Friday would be added to the permanent menu.”
The Filet-O-Fish was added to menus in 1965. Grant Groen notes that the recipe is the same today as the original except for the type of fish. “McDonald’s now uses 100% Alaskan pollock, but the fried filet still sits on a steamed bun and is topped with creamy tartar sauce and a half slice of melty American cheese.”
McDonald’s 100% wild caught pollock filets are sourced from sustainably managed fisheries.
McDonald’s restaurants throughout Ohio are offering Filet-O-Fish specials through April 21.
