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While McDonald's fries may be world-famous today, the honor of introducing French fries to fast food goes to White Castle. In the 1940s, during WWII, White Castle adapted its menu to meet rationing restrictions, adding fries as a popular alternative to meat-heavy dishes.
White Castle: The First Fast-Food Chain to Add French Fries Amid WWII Rationing
McDonald's reigns as the most prominent global chain in the fast-food industry, per Chowhound. It is known for its significant influence and enduring popularity despite occasional missteps like the Hula Burger—a pineapple slice on a bun in the 1960s—and McDonald’s hot dogs in the 1990s. Much of McDonald’s success can be attributed to its consistent approach rather than taking significant culinary risks. McDonald’s wasn’t even the first to introduce French fries to the American fast-food scene.
That distinction belongs to White Castle, a smaller yet equally iconic brand widely recognized as the first fast-food restaurant. Founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, White Castle added French fries to its menu in the mid-1940s during World War II to respond to the era's strict rationing policies on essential goods like meat, sugar, and butter. With limited access to hamburger meat, White Castle adapted by offering alternative menu items, including egg sandwiches, chili, and grilled cheese, along with vegetables like coleslaw and, eventually, French fries. The coleslaw was removed once the war and rationing restrictions lifted, but fries had become a popular fixture.
McDonald’s Transition to French Fries in 1949 Paved the Way for Its Global Success
Meanwhile, Richard and Maurice McDonald originally served potato chips alongside burgers at their San Bernardino, California restaurant but opted to switch to French fries in 1949, a year after opening their now-famous hamburger stand. This shift caught the attention of Ray Kroc, who would go on to expand McDonald's into a global empire. Kroc became captivated by the McDonald brothers’ fries and, after purchasing the franchise rights, scaled up French fry production with intense focus, establishing them as a staple of the McDonald’s menu worldwide.
While McDonald's fries may be among the most famous today, White Castle introduced the beloved side to the fast-food world, laying the foundation for one of America’s most famous pairings: burgers and fries.
