The name Big Mac was coined by secretary Esther Glickstein Rose in 1967.
Rose worked at a McDonald’s advertising agency and suggested the name for the company’s new double-decker hamburger. The sandwich had already been developed by franchisee Jim Delligatti, who operated restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. The name was selected during the product’s early national rollout and soon became one of McDonald’s most recognizable brand names.
The Big Mac consists of two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a three-part sesame-seed bun. Its distinctive middle bun helped separate it from ordinary double hamburgers and made the product easy to identify in advertising.
People sometimes assume the name came directly from Ray Kroc or from the sandwich’s creator. The recipe is associated with Delligatti, while the memorable product name is credited to Rose.