Jim Delligatti in the mid-1960s believed the burgers-and-fries menu needed something bigger and jazzier.
He slapped together two beef patties, a tangy sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and three layers of sesame seed bun. He called it the Big Mac – and the fast-food sandwich became a big hit in his other 47 stores in Pennsylvania.
It was introduced on April 22, 1967, with newspaper ads describing it as “made with two freshly ground patties, tangy melted cheese, crisp lettuce, pickle and our own Special Sauce.” The original price was 45 cents, compared with an average of about $5 today.
Delligatti’s franchise was based in Uniontown, not far from Pittsburgh, when he invented the chain’s signature burger in 1967 after deciding customers wanted a bigger sandwich.
The corporate headquarters initially opposed Mr Delligatti’s plan to use a triple-deck bun with sesame seeds. But Mr Delligatti went ahead with the new bun anyway. Without it, he thought, the Big Mac would be too sloppy. Delligatti said it took two years to convince McDonald’s that the Big Mac was a good idea.
Due to the success in the Uniontown store, the Big Mac was soon sold in all of Delligatti’s stores. When each of these stores showed significant gains, McDonald’s managers and franchise owners elsewhere looked to Delligatti and his stores for information on his new sandwich.
A year later, the Big Mac was on the menu at McDonald’s restaurants all over the United States. By 1969, it accounted for 19 percent of the company’s total sales.
Michael James Delligatti invented Big Mac of Mac Donald
