"al bernardin dies" news and stories

Al Bernardin, former dean of McDonald's Hamburger University (the fast-food chain's training center) and inventor of the legendary Quarter Pounder, died of a stroke, the Chicago Tribune reported. He was 81 years old.

Bernardin began his career at McDonald's corporate headquarters in 1960, and later as vice president of development was instrumental in the birth of the company's Filet-o-Fish sandwich, french fries and hot apple and cherry pies, the paper reported.

But it was in 1971, as owner of a franchise in Fremont, Calif., that Bernardin sealed his legacy with the introduction of the Quarter Pounder with the slogan "Today Fremont, tomorrow the world."