McDonald's Is Celebrating 50 Years Of A Popular Breakfast Item And Despite High Egg Prices, This $1 Deal Can't Be Beat

Here's a deal worth getting up early for (well, before 11 a.m., anyway) on the weekend: McDonald's has declared that on its self-appointed National Egg McMuffin Day — that's Sunday, March 2 — the immensely popular Egg McMuffin and Sausage McMuffin breakfast sandwiches will be just $1 if ordered in the app. That's an extremely good price, considering the Egg McMuffin alone can cost more than $5 in some locations, and there's a nationwide egg shortage. After all, McDonald's uses fresh-cracked eggs in its McMuffins.

These breakfast sandwiches are steeply discounted not only for the company's holiday, but also to celebrate 50 years of the Egg McMuffin, which debuted in 1975. McDonald's is also offering a buy-one-get-one deal on Sausage Egg McMuffins when ordered with McDelivery, from March 3 to 30, and it has expanded its Bagel Sandwiches nationwide, with bacon or steak, as well as egg and cheese. This almost makes up for the company discontinuing its McBakery line. Just make sure to place your order before McDonald's breakfast ends and lunch begins.

The history of the Egg McMuffin actually begins a few years before its debut, in 1971, when a franchisee by the name of Herb Peterson (thank you, Herb, we say in unison) created a breakfast sandwich with cheese and Canadian bacon on an English muffin. He also invented the precursor to the egg rings that give the patty its round shape. On a trip to Peterson's store, McDonald's founder Ray Kroc tried the sandwich for the first time — and loved it upon first bite. He immediately went to work to bring it to market.

McDonald's eventually tested the Egg McMuffin; when it received a rapturous reception, the company started selling them across America, paving the way for its entire breakfast line, with items like hash browns and pancakes to follow. And by making the Egg McMuffin $1 on March 2, McDonald's is almost throwing it back to the O.G. price point of 63 cents.