McDonald's introduced the Big Mac as a national menu item in 1968.
The sandwich had been created earlier by franchisee Jim Delligatti, who operated McDonald's restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. After local testing and development, McDonald's made the Big Mac available nationwide in 1968. Its two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and sesame-seed bun gave the company a highly distinctive signature product.
The Big Mac became more than a menu item: it became one of McDonald's strongest product brands. Its name, packaging, advertising, and recognizable construction gave customers a way to identify McDonald's through a specific sandwich as well as through the restaurant logo and mascots.
A frequent date mix-up is 1967, the year Delligatti introduced the sandwich in the Pittsburgh area. The national launch occurred in 1968. Another common confusion is with the Quarter Pounder, which was introduced nationally in 1973. The Big Mac therefore occupies an earlier and especially important place in McDonald's product-branding history.