Edge

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 SvenssonNarrated by Jacob TitusChapters (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 goldenEdge 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