The Hula Burger was a meatless burger introduced in the 1960s by Ray Kroc to McDonald’s. It was a substitute for American Catholics that would not eat meat on Fridays. The burger was a slice of grilled pineapple with cheese on a bun. But this was designed to go up against the Filet-O-Fish, which was created by a Catholic McDonald’s franchisee Lou Groen. McDonald’s ended production of the Hula Burger early on, as it became quickly evident that its alternative, the Filet-O-Fish, was getting much better traction.
The Filet-O-Fish has a storied past dating back to 1962 with Franchisee Lou Groen from Cincinnati, Ohio. Groen’s restaurant was located in a predominantly Roman Catholic neighborhood and he noticed a decrease in sales on Fridays. With determination and a knack for thoroughness, Groen convinced McDonald’s to test a breaded whitefish sandwich to help satisfy customers who abstained from eating meat on Fridays in observance of Lent.
At first, McDonald’s executives were not certain about adding fish to the menu, which required a more complicated cooking process. As a matter of fact, McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc had plans for what he called the Hula Burger – a slice of grilled pineapple and cheese on a bun. Kroc made a deal with Groen that they would sell the Hula Burger and the Filet-O-Fish on a Friday, and whichever sandwich sold the most would be added to the permanent menu. Kroc was so convinced that his Hula Burger would outsell the Filet-O-Fish that he made a side bet with his first grillman Fred Turner that the loser would buy the winner a new suit. The final score? Hula Burger: 6, Filet-O-Fish: 350.
In 1965, the Filet-O-Fish was the first addition to McDonald’s original menu; it was the only non-hamburger option and sold for $0.29.
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