Podcast Summary: My First Million – "This guy made millions by inventing the McFlurry & the $1 Menu"

Podcast: My First Million
Hosts: Sam Parr & Shaun Neff
Guest/Subject: Tom Ryan (Innovator behind the McGriddle, McFlurry, $1 Menu, Smashburger, and more)
Date: September 10, 2025
Episode Focus: Celebrating Tom Ryan's legacy as a prolific fast-food innovator and discussing how business owners can leverage similar creative tactics and positioning insights to succeed in today's entrepreneurial landscape. Includes bonus: a deep dive into product marketing, differentiation, and top investing mindsets.

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights Tom Ryan, the under-the-radar genius behind fast food's most iconic innovations. Sam Parr dives deep into Ryan's career and approach, highlighting his unique contributions to the food industry and what business builders can learn from his playbook. The conversation then shifts to broader lessons in marketing, product differentiation (including the “law of the opposite”), and investing, all with the signature irreverent and enthusiastic tone My First Million is known for.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tom Ryan: Fast Food’s Da Vinci

• Who is Tom Ryan?
  • Referred to as the “da Vinci of calories” (00:29, Sam Parr).
  • Invented the McGriddle, stuffed crust pizza, Smashburger chain, Quiznos’ beef dip sandwich, McFlurry, and more.
  • Holds a master’s in lipid toxicology (the science of fats).
• Invention vs. Innovation
  • Sometimes he "truly invented," other times he developed a new product for a brand (01:08).

Notable Quote:

"This guy has just been inventing things in the food category...he is like the godfather of food science."
— Sam Parr (00:29)

2. Tom Ryan’s Approach to Creation

• Background & Credentials

  • College: fell in love with food science (01:55).
  • Rose through corporate food labs: Duncan Hines, Jif, Pizza Hut.

• Key Inventions Story

  • Stuffed Crust Pizza:
    • Identified cheese as the “value driver” (02:51) and crust as the least-loved part.
    • Demanded a "wow factor." (03:40)
    • Created a new way to get more cheese in every bite — solved technical baking challenge.

  “People think the world is full of solved problems. I don’t think like that. There's always an opportunity."
  — Tom Ryan (paraphrased by Sam Parr, 02:50)

• “Lovers” Line of Pizzas

  • Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s TED talk—"There's no perfect product, only perfect products for each type of person." (05:11)

3. Moving Between Giants

• From Pizza Hut → McDonald’s

  • Recruited as a mercenary innovator (07:42).
  • Framework: “I try to get inside the mind of an ambitious 32 year old”—those with taste, curiosity, and money, but not jaded (07:45).

• Birth of the McGriddle (09:26)

  • Sought to combine “the Denny's Grand Slam in your hand.”
  • Invented syrup crystals so breakfast sandwich isn't a sticky mess (10:16).

  "We can't have this messy, drippy, syrup, sticky sandwich...so he invents syrup crystals."
  — Sam Parr (09:58)

• The $1 Menu and McFlurry

  • Democratized McDonald's offerings and added fun, impulse-buy items (11:38).

• Quiznos and Smashburger

  • Helped launch Smashburger (12:30), innovated in burger presentation (“thin crust pizza, but for burgers,” 13:05).

4. Tom Ryan’s Impact & Persona

• Seen as a corporate alpha — a one-man Navy SEAL for fast food (12:06).
• Unwilling to retire: “I wake up every day...I’m trying to dominate the palette” (14:05).
• “This guy’s amazing. Did I tell you…?” — Sam’s admiration shows through (15:00).

5. Parallel Discussion: The Law of the Opposite (Product Differentiation)

• Example: David Protein Bars

  • Origin: from Peter Raja of RX Bar (17:19).
  • New product, "David Bar," uses a modified fat (epg) for ultra-high protein (19:27).
  • Embraced criticisms (ultra-processed), using unique billboard campaigns comparing themselves directly to "boiled cod" — a master class in positioning (23:30).

  “The law of the opposite states that...it’s best not to be better than the leader, but to be the opposite.”
  — Shaun Neff (21:50)

• Other Examples

  • Avis’s historic “We’re #2, so we try harder.”
  • “Don’t just try to be better. Be different.” (25:18)

6. Investing Mindsets and Stock Picks

• Reflecting on Past Picks (Stockapalooza update):

  • UFC parent company TKO picked and doubled in price (27:14).
  • Emphasis on picking “category of one” companies (32:32).

• Five Stock Ideas for Extreme Defensibility: (32:54 and onwards)

  • Robinhood: Gen Z/Millennial default investing platform with lots of financial products (33:42).
  • Coinbase: Top crypto platform with 9 product lines over $100M (41:06).
  • Tesla: Long-term bet on self-driving, robots, and technical lead (42:41).
  • SpaceX: “Most defensible company in the history of humanity.” (29:10)
  • OpenAI: Huge upside, though with more competition (53:07).

• Key Investment Principle:

  • Don’t stress discounted cash flows — just ask, “Are these industry leaders obviously dominant now and for the next 20 years?” (39:26)

• Quotable Investment Wisdom:

  “All you needed to do was BTC and chill.”
  — Quoting friend Zach, via Sam Parr (47:16)

7. Cult Brands & Founder Factor

• Sometimes the “cool factor”—the charisma or vision of the founder—can propel stocks (54:24).

8. Finding, Building, and Doubling Down on the Leading Skill

• Charisma and mass communication are underrated for entrepreneurs (55:30).
• “Just do what you’re doing, but better.” (57:17)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “He is like the godfather of food science.” — Sam Parr (00:29)
• “People think the world is full of solved problems. ... There's always an opportunity.” — Paraphrasing Tom Ryan (02:50)
• “The crust is the worst part of pizza. People just give it to the dog.” — Sam Parr (03:01)
• “I try to get inside the mind of an ambitious 32 year old.” — Tom Ryan, via Sam Parr (07:45)
• “It’s not about being better. The goal is to be different.” — Sam Parr (25:18)
• “All you needed to do was BTC and chill.” — Friend of Sam Parr (47:16)
• “A meat lover's pizza? Not particularly better. It's just... remarkably different...” — Sam Parr (25:18)
• “I want the ugliest website that’s got the biggest vault.” — Shaun Neff on fintech trust (37:03)
• “You get the syrup without a mess on your hand.” — Shaun Neff, on McGriddles (10:40)
• “SpaceX is the most defensible company in the history of humanity.” — Sam's billionaire friend (29:10)
• “Charisma: that's the skillset you have to learn...” — Shaun Neff (55:48)

Key Timestamps

• 00:29–03:40: Tom Ryan’s early career, food innovation mindset, stuffed crust pizza story
• 05:11–06:27: “Lovers” pizza innovation, Gladwell's marketing insight
• 07:42–10:16: McDonald's, invention of the McGriddle (syrup crystals, on-the-go breakfast)
• 11:38–12:56: $1 Menu, McFlurry, Smashburger, and mercenary innovator model
• 17:09–24:03: David Bar and “law of the opposite” marketing deep-dive
• 27:02–32:24: Stockapalooza update, “category of one” investment principle
• 32:54–44:37: Investing in defensible companies (Robinhood, Coinbase, Tesla, SpaceX, OpenAI)
• 47:16–50:37: BTC and chill, power-law investing takeaways
• 54:24–55:30: Bro science in investing; founder “cool factor”
• 55:30–57:17: Final takeaways on charisma and “the leading skill”

Takeaways for Entrepreneurs & Builders

• Innovation is rarely about inventing from pure scratch. Apply creative thinking to “solved problem” industries.
• Product positioning: Don’t just improve, differentiate—sometimes by owning criticisms and making them features (David Bar example).
• Founder impact: Charisma, narrative, and vision are critical business levers.
• Investment filter: Look at "category of one" companies or those with seemingly unassailable moats.
• Skillset focus: Communication, persuasion, and charisma may matter more than technical prowess.

Episode in a Nutshell

Celebrating Tom Ryan’s trailblazing fast food innovations, Sam and Shaun unravel how creativity, differentiation, and positioning can reshape even “solved” industries. The episode also delivers a candid masterclass on marketing principles (“the law of the opposite”), and shares investing frameworks centered on defensibility, founder energy, and mega-trends. It’s an energizing, idea-packed session for anyone interested in creating, marketing, or investing in breakout businesses—served up with plenty of the hosts’ trademark humor.

“Let me get inside the mind of an ambitious 32 year old. That’s how you invent what wins.”
— Tom Ryan (via Sam Parr, 07:45)

“The goal is not to be better. The goal is to be different.”
— Sam Parr (25:18)

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