February 13, 1962—The first Filet-O-Fish sandwich is sold at McDonald’s to cater to the Cincinnati-area Catholic Community

In 1962 Lou Groen, the owner of a new McDonald’s franchise, was trying to figure out how to save his failing hamburger restaurant in Monfort Heights, Ohio. The problem he was facing was that his clientele was largely Catholic and in the early 1960s, most Catholics abstained from meat every Friday, not just during Lent. Vatican II (1962-1965) did not abolish the requirement to abstain from meat on Fridays. But in 1966 the National Conference of Catholic Bishops removed the obligation for meatless Fridays for Catholics in the United States outside of Lent. In a pre-Vatican II world, Groen had to find something that observant Catholic clients could eat on Fridays that made enough money to keep his restaurant afloat. ​

Groen noticed that his consumers were going to a popular restaurant named Frisch’s on Fridays because they sold a fish sandwich. Groen decided to follow suit to see if he could lure people to his restaurant on Fridays with a fish sandwich. On Tuesday, February 13, 1962, Groen sold his first halibut-based Filet-O-Fish and then decided to head to Chicago to sell the fish sandwich idea to McDonald’s corporate. Groen said he, “invented my fish sandwich, developed a special batter, made the tartar sauce, and took it to headquarters” (USAToday). 

At first, McDonald’s executives were nervous about adding a fish product to the menu since it required a more complicated cooking process than with beef. Instead, Ray Kroc, McDonald’s founder, had invented his own meatless sandwich that he called the Hula Burger—a slice of grilled pineapple and a slice of cheese on a cold bun. Kroc made a deal with Groen: he’d put both sandwiches on the menu on Good Friday in 1962 and whichever sandwich sold the most would be added to the permanent menu. The final score Hula Burger: 6, Fil