The Surprising Reason Why McDonalds Sells Fish (2024)

When done RIGHT...the Filet-O-Fish is a 9/10 for a fast food fix.

I'm old enough to remember when they were still served in the blue styrofoam box.

Sadly the filet got smaller over time, it’s now a slider for the same price.

“Fish isn’t meat” is the weirdest part of all this.

The Only Sandwich that gets a STEAMED BUN.

Fish sandwich combo with extra tarter sauce. My only "go to" mcdonalds order for the last 30 years.

That "fishy fishy" soundbite instantly unlocked a part of my mind long forgotten

Fun Fact: In 1971 McDonald's introduced a McDonald Land mascot named Captain Crook? He was there to endorse the Filet o Fish to kids. He called it his "Golden Treasure".

Ray Charles, Clarence Carter ad Stevie Wonder could've seen that the Hula burger was going to be a flop. 😂

Well, Ray did find the company . Maybe he should be known as the finder of McDonalds.

Growing up in a Catholic part of a state literally founded by Catholics and going to Catholic school... I already knew the reason

How about a story on Long John Silver's,. You know, the seafood place that served Chicken Planks.

Catholic Holiday

The best promo was easily the one where they snuck in a free Filet-o-fish in my order 3 times in six months. I'm only half-joking. I don't know why, but 3 separate locations added one for free within a six month time peroid. I never brought it to anyone's attention. I just walked away.

Who in the heck is gonna order a pineapple sandwich 😂

I'm in the secret society that loves the Filet O Fish

A+ video!
LOVE IT! I will snag a Filet-O-Fish sandwich next time I am at McDonald's!

The Filet o Fish commercial is classic.

I met Mr. Croc(sp) when I was 8 years old. My Dad sold scales and was "hawking" his wares. It was the first time I'd ever had the fiket-o-fish. To this day, it's what I order at Mcky D's

No doubt I mean seriously.I knew this over thirty years ago

You could do a video on Wendy's Chili, or fast food Chili in general.

Me when fish isn't meat: 🗿

"Pain in the bass" LOVE IT!

This background music is insane 😂

McFish. Only fish sandwich I want. That bun! Love the tartar. It's good.

Love my double filet o fish.

In New England, McD's sometimes has lobster rolls on the menu.

Do Arthur Treachers next. Best fast food fish ever.

5:19 The mysterious disappearance that I think about most is that of Petra Pazsitka of Braunschweig.
I have really grown to love the food Braunschweiger after hearing that case.

I love the Filet-O-Fish sandwich but it has always been absurdly expensive -- especially since the "filet" is actually composed of minced fish rather than an actual filet from a whole fish. I would have bought the Filet-O-Fish far more often had its price reflected its actual production cost. These days I very seldom buy anything from McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, or any of their competitors. The quality is low and prices high. My most recent purchase from McDonalds (approximately a year ago) was a Big Mac and chicken sandwich. The Big Mac looked like it was assembled by a blind person. The chicken sandwich was dry and tough and the sauce was not spread over the entire bun. I no longer buy anything from the major fast food burger chains unless I have no other option.

Culver’s has the best fast food fish sandwich.

6:21 I remember that somewhere around 2002 or 2003 or 2004, KFC used to make its own Fillet-o-Fish burger. It was short-lived, it had a few short revivals, and then it was gone, probably less than a year.

It has been my favorite McDonald's sandwich ever since I tried it for the first time.
Great video!

Jack-In-The-Box once had the Moby Jack.

i had one for the first time on monday and i haven't stopped thinking about it since

fantastic as always.

I love these,they are sooooo good!!!! But I'm morbidly curious about the hula burger

3 words: Fridays during Lent

Another international variation is that McDonald's in New Zealand use sustainably sourced Hoki in their Fillet O Fish burgers and it's delicious 😋

...a Filet-O-Fish with _Old Bay_ tartar sauce? Well, shucks, that sounds like it would absolutely slap my taste buds silly. I'm in Alabama, but am Marylander by birth. Gonna have to try my FOF with a nice dusting of Old Bay next time I get one!

Ray Kroc took McDonald where it would have never gone. His innovations on real estate was key to keeping each franchise on track and pushing a standard that made McDonals the billion dollar company it is today.

growing up in 80s the fish sandwich is what my mom got every time we went to mcdonalds. i always got the happy meal until teen and started getting quarter or double quarters or fish or mcdlt, etc. now days the rare occasion i go to mcdonalds its the fish or double fish half the time that i get. After never eating at a wendys or burger king prior to age 18....maybe once. I eat at them or Arbys more now than Mcdonalds.

good video

Filet-O-Fish are the best. But only when hot. If they get served cold, it's like eating drywall. Double Filet-O-Fish is just double the yumminess.
Too bad they've been priced out of my comfort zone, lol....

This is pretty common knowledge.

Tried it for the first time a month ago im obsessed 😮‍💨🔥🔥

BRING BACK THE FISH MCBITES

I do love a Filet-O-Fish from time to time.

As a Presbyterian I was always taught growing up that if there is ever a fish where there shouldn't be a fish then the pope put it there.

Dam, didn't know it started here where I'm from, CINCINNATI!!!! WHOOOOOOO!

I’d love to see a video on Pal’s Sudden Service or Cook Out!

It's White Castle for me, due to the fish and shrimp Nibblers, but I just wanted to point out that I love the ending music for this series because it sounds like Michael McDonald's "I Keep Forgettin'"

The McDonalds Cheese steak was so good. You should do the review of that.

The minced fish product sold at fast food joints is mostly added substances including soybean, wheat and preservatives.

6:29 Reminds me of the Scooby-Doo monster The Ghost of Captain Cutler.
That would be an amazing Halloween costume!

Interesting. 🐟

With the exception of McDonald's (and some higher-priced places), most of these places only serve fish during Lent (at least in places where I've lived). I'd like to be able to get fish whenever I want, but it's nearly impossible.

I remember in a McDonald's documentary and when they got to the Filet O'Fish sandwich, they talked about the Hula burger. After the test run that day Lou called Ray and asked how many hula burgers he sold? Ray replied "You first." Lou said how many he sold and Ray replied "You win!". They only sold a few hula burgers from what I recall.

The filet o fish would be a good name for a band

I get the FoF cuz I crave the mini fish sliders from White Castles and I can get them where I live.

That’s a nice piece of fish.

I've had the Filet o Fish a few times in my life, not bad. Another instant classic in the books W.H.F.

I really like it

In the 70s I liked to get The Whaler at Burger King. They also had hot dogs on the menu. I don't think I ever really had the hamburgers back then.

As a Roman Catholic myself, I can honestly say I’ve never obeyed this rule 😂

What's the one with the pickle? Looks bussin

So back in the eighties my mother would always order a filet o fish sandwich not because she was Roman Catholic or anything she was not, but the main reason is that unlike all the other food that was kept under heat lamps the fish sandwich had to be cooked when the customer ordered because of the nature of the product, so this is not an issue anymore as food is no longer kept under heat lamps all items now on the menu are made when the customer orders it.

"Sir... Is that... Big Boy???"

I'm not sure how 'successful' fish truly is. Back when I worked at McD's in 1987, my first job, fish was so rarely ordered that it was only made to order, we never kept any prepared in the heating drawers. The cashier would just shout out FISH! when an order was placed, which was code for us in the cooking area to drop a square.

Love my Cincinnati history.

If you want a fresh one, add shredded lettuce!

Back in the day Catholics did not eat meat on any Friday not just during Lent.

6:46 There is actually a short film called Sardines Out of a Can.

I like how fish wasn't considered meat back in the day

7:18 In relation to a fisherman, I am watching I Know What You Did Last Summer on The Fourth of July.
They actually celebrate Fourth of July twice in the film.

Back in the 80s my mother would always order a filet o fish at McDonald's she was not Roman Catholic but the reason she did is because back then McDonald's would pre make most of their food and put it under heat lamps except for filet o fish, it had to be made fresh when the customer ordered it because of the nature of fish and the breading going soggy. this is not an issue anymore as all McDonald's items are now made at the time of order they don't use heat lamps anymore.

I always wonder why the cheese was half lol Jesus Christ 🤣

Got luv McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish!

Mc Donalds qatar steams the filet o fish with tar tar sauce and a half of cheese steam bread . Yum

back in the early 2000s bk had their "big fish" and o man was that amazing lmao extra cheese and extra sauce oh yeaaaaa.... ya'll remember the bk tacos? lmao

Old Bay mention, let’s gooooooooo 😂😂😂😂

I wish they'd bring back the fish mcbites.

BK doesn't offer a fish sandwich anymore

Hot take - Fillet o Fish slaps (secretly)

To call McDonalds a restaurant is really too generous.

Want to recreate the FIllet-O-Fish - just go to your local supermarket and buy a box of frozen fish fingers, the cheapest sliced white bread, a jar of the cheapest tartare sauce. Cook the fish fingers as per instruction on the box, slap them between slices of the bread smothered with the sauce. Same same.
From a nutritional POV it's not actually food but it'll quell the hunger for a while. But the same would apply to eating hay meant for horses.
Don't do either of these things, it won't end well.

Lent. There's your answer

I could watch a whole video on how insane it is that centuries of Catholic tradition ended just 3 years after the introduction of the Filet o Fish AND Ray Kroc made a joke about it.

5:50 He's such a goober

People like to rip on the Fillet o Fish. I like them occasionally but rarely buy them cause they're so small now!

What i had eat when in catholic school for lent on lunch breaks. Fish in chips was always better

No religion tells me what I can and cannot eat.

Come to germany and try a warm "Backfisch mit Remoulade"

Fish isn't meat? I guess it's grass then. 😂

Here before one hour

Dunno why ppl dont like the sandwich. I effing love the filet o fish, its my fave.😂

McDonalds Switzerland has had battered schrimps on the menue for years now.

I have these as a guilty pleasure 😂

See through drive food? 😉

I live in the UK, so we have a LOT of fish based options here, though Northern Ireland is most know for our Cows and Chickens so we have a lot of Burger and Chicken Joints