In the 1960s and early 1970s, McDonald's had a major competitor: Burger Chef, a hamburger chain that started in 1958. Fast food has been around for a long time, and it seems to get more popular every day. The Flipping Holder | Mess Free, Mom-Invented Kids Snack Product - 490 Followers, 11 Following, 6529 pins | Products to make life easier and a little less messy for moms of kids, toddlers, and babies. In 1973, while Burger Chef was at its peak, it introduced the concept of the kids' meal. The chain was originally created by Donald and Frank Thomas, whose father started the General Equipment Company in the 1930s to manufacture machinery for fast … As Business Insider reports, the "Fun Meal" was the first fast-food meal to bundle burgers with a dessert and a toy. … Naturally, word eventually got back to McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago they decided to adopt the practice as their own. The packaging and toy are frequently part of a marketing tie-in to an existing TV show, film, or toy line. History. Kids meals tend to come with a main, a drink, and a side for way less than if you ordered all of the items separately from the regular menu. Discerning the popularity of the kids' meal, McDonald's introduced its Happy Meal in 1978, and other fast food corporations, including Burger King, followed suit with their own kids' meals. The classic kids' meal started as a gimmick, a way to lure in parents with small children for an easy-to-order lunch or dinner. Unfortunately, fast food often takes the place of nutritious food in our diets. While Burger Chef was at its peak, it introduced a concept most people associate with McDonald's: the kids' meal. The first kids' meal, Funmeal, emerged at Burger Chef in 1973 and succeeded. Inspiration for family-friendly activities, meals, and living. … Some fast food corporations considered youngsters their "most important" customers, owing to the success of the kids' meal. McDonald's is well known for its Happy Meal, but it wasn't the first to serve a bundled kids' meal.. A media representative told me Yolanda “was the first to have this idea” of a value meal for kids. A toy is typically included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a box with the McDonald's logo. The “Menu Ronald” was invented to help parents keep their kids satisfied when the family went out to eat. A Happy Meal is a form of kids meal specifically marketed at children, sold at the fast-food chain McDonald's since June 1979. As for McDonald’s? But as recognizable as the Happy Meal is, it wasn’t the first of its kind. The original “Menu Ronald” included a hamburger, small fries and a small sundae. 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