Episode 12

Brian introduces the subpodcast, “Do You Remember That?” by delving into the history of McDonald’s Pizza. Brian discusses dramatic increases in profits and menu additions over the years, including salads and breakfast items. Brian discusses the rise in popularity of pizza chains in the 1980s, specifically Pizza Hut. In the mid-80s, McDonald’s added pizza to their menus by the name of “McDonald’s Pizza,” not McPizza, according to Brian. McPizza was briefly tested but more closely resembled a Hot Pocket than pizza. McDonald’s Pizza reached the market in 1988 after extensive research and funding with the goal of discovering the fastest way to cook pizza. Pizza Today publisher Gerry Durnell (allegedly voiced by Edward Herrmann) doubted McDonald’s, saying that McDonald’s is not a fast food. McDonald’s settled on a process that made pizzas available to customers in five minutes: slower than most McDonald’s menu items yet faster than many pizza chains. Brian describes Pizza Hut’s attack ads against McDonald’s, calling their pizzas “McFrozen.” Brian articulates that this is a lie, as the pizza is not frozen but cooked in a specific oven. Brian states that McDonald’s incurred high renovation costs in order to put the pizza ovens in view of customers and to expand drive thru windows. That said, the corporation decided to proceed with the menu addition. Two years later, McDonald’s removed pizza from the menu. Brian’s investigative journalism quest is to discover why.