The Food Scientist Behind the McGriddle—and the Protein Bar Brand Making $200 Million a Year

One man helped transform fast food with stuffed-crust pizza and the McGriddle. Another built a protein bar brand that reportedly generated $1 million in its first week. Their industries are different, but their success reveals the same business secret: you don’t have to create something universally better. You have to create something unmistakably different.

The Inventor Who Refused to Believe Pizza Was Solved

Tom Ryan built a career turning everyday food into billion-dollar product opportunities. His creations and innovations include Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Crust Pizza, its “Lovers” pizza lineup, McDonald’s McGriddle and McFlurry, the Quiznos beef dip sandwich, and the Smashburger restaurant concept.

His breakthrough at Pizza Hut began with a simple observation: customers loved cheese, while pizza crust was often discarded. Why not put the cheese inside the crust?

The solution required more than a good idea. Ryan’s team had to develop specialized dough and a pan that would cook the pizza without burning its exterior. The result became a major hit.

He also challenged the assumption that one pizza could satisfy everyone. Instead, Pizza Hut introduced distinct options for meat lovers, pepperoni lovers, and cheese lovers. Rather than aiming for the perfect middle ground, the company gave customers more of what they already loved.

At McDonald’s, Ryan applied the same thinking to breakfast. His challenge was to fit the experience of a full diner breakfast into something customers could hold in one hand. The answer was the McGriddle, featuring pancakes with embedded syrup crystals that delivered sweetness without leaving customers’ hands sticky.

David Protein Bars Turn Criticism Into Marketing

A similar strategy is powering David, a protein bar brand founded by Peter Rahal, who previously co-founded RXBAR. RXBAR reportedly sold for approximately $650 million, around six years after its launch.

David took a different approach to the protein bar category, using a modified fat called EPG to deliver a high-protein product with fewer calories. Its formulation has attracted criticism over its ultra-processed ingredients, but the brand has turned that controversy into a distinctive marketing position.

One billboard featured boiled cod with the message that it offered slightly more protein per calorie than David bars. The joke was deliberate: plain fish might win on nutritional efficiency, but a tasty, convenient bar has obvious advantages for everyday consumers.

According to the figures cited in the original account, David generated $1 million in its first week and was projected to approach $200 million in sales during roughly its second year.

Why Being Different Beats Being Better

The strategy echoes the “law of the opposite” from The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: when a competitor owns a category, challengers can win by positioning themselves as the alternative rather than simply claiming superiority.

The takeaway: Study what customers actually want, identify what existing products fail to deliver, and build a clear identity around your difference. In business, the winning idea isn't always the best version of what already exists. Sometimes it's the alternative customers didn't know they wanted.

Watch the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9YilOoPb-s&t=419s