Winner, Winner: The Chicken McNugget Story

In March 1980, McDonald’s put a new item on the menu at 15 restaurants in Knoxville. Within weeks, Chicken McNuggets made up 20% of sales at those stores.

The success looked instant, but the story behind it spans three decades. It starts in 1948 with a contest to breed a meatier chicken. Today the McNugget brings in nearly $15 billion a year in system-wide sales.

Read the full issue, with charts and archival images.

Written by Philip Svensson
Narrated by Jacob Titus

Chapters
 (00:00) Winner, winner
 (00:38) The Chicken of Tomorrow
 (03:07) McDonald’s and Ray Kroc
 (05:56) Building the blueprint
 (09:18) The ground beneath the arches
 (11:04) Too many chickens
 (13:21) A menu built on beef
 (15:05) Beyond the burger
 (17:45) The McNugget SWAT team
 (20:12) Everyone’s lovin’ it
 (22:19) Nuggets in all weather
 (24:23) From chicken to Chicken McNugget
 (26:22) They’re here!
 (28:41) Innovation that endures
 (31:18) Still golden

Edge publishes long-form stories on companies and pivotal moments in business history. Read every issue and sign up at quartr.com/edge.

Published by Quartr, AI infrastructure for company research. Learn more at quartr.com.

© 2026 Quartr