Finally the secrets behind the McDonald's best-selling Shamrock Shake have been revealed. Strangely, the bright green minty treat dates back to the 1970, and its story is based on charity.
The Shamrock Shake was developed in 1970, according to McDonald's. However, according to reports on Delish.com, Harold Rosen, who owned a McDonald's in Connecticut, claims he invented the popular holiday drink in 1966.
The McDonalds website says, "It all began with a little girl, a football team, and a visionary doctor."
The Philadelphia Eagles tight end Fred Hill's daughter was diagnosed with leukemia and began treatment. The Hill family were camping out in waiting rooms in hospitals and saw other families doing the same. They realized that many families travelling long distances to visit their sick family members had nowhere to stay and could not afford hotel rooms. The Hill family did something about it.
Hill and his team decided to raise some funds. The team's general manager, Jim Murray, called a friend in McDonald's advertising and suggested the team on the next promotional push. It just happened to be St. Patrick's Day.
The Shamrock Shake raised enough money to buy a four-story house which was the first Ronald McDonald House Charity.
Imagine -- the Shamrock Shake now has 21,500 fans on Facebook and is second in popularity only to the McRib, and that sandwich had a "Simpsons" episode dedicated to it!
Here’s a hilarious ad for the Shamrock Shake from 1983:
5 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.IrelandNorth | Mar 05, 2012, 06:25 AM EST
Shure 'n' faith 'n' [gom]orragh! Be Jaysus 'n' be jaypers! Shure they should be sellin' it all year round. What are we supposed to do between St. Patrick's Day's. And think of all the money they could raise for charities. Ah! The best kinda capitalism. Social capitalism. Exactly what we expect from the good ol' USA. The world's paradigm democracy. Shure it beats d'owl putcheen hands down.
eileenkny | Mar 04, 2012, 08:51 PM EST
Love it, and love the fact that charity started it all.
cillowen | Mar 04, 2012, 08:24 PM EST
had one today - real nice treat
CelticQueenUSA | Mar 04, 2012, 04:44 PM EST
Just last month I had the pleasure of meeting and dining with Jim Murray and the story goes, he asked for 25 cents per shake but Mc Donald's turned around and said ALL MONEY FROM SALE OF THE SHAMROCK SHAKES WOULD BE DONATED!! And thus, Ronald McDonald houses were born and are ALL OVER THE WORLD NOW. What a great TRUE STORY!!! i LOVE YA JIM1
joan1954 | Mar 04, 2012, 11:48 AM EST
I have tasted it here in my local McDonald's and it is delicious.