McDonald’s first nationally advertised signature hamburger, introduced in 1968, was the Big Mac.
The Big Mac was created by franchisee Jim Delligatti, who operated McDonald’s restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. It used two beef patties, a middle section of bread, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and special sauce. The distinctive three-part bun and layered construction made it visually different from a standard hamburger.
Delligatti first tested the sandwich locally before McDonald’s introduced it nationally in 1968. The product became more than a menu item: its name, packaging, jingle, and instantly recognizable structure gave McDonald’s a powerful piece of product branding.
The Big Mac is sometimes confused with the Quarter Pounder because both became major McDonald’s menu symbols. The Quarter Pounder is defined by the approximate pre-cooking weight of its beef patty, while the Big Mac is defined by its two patties, center bun, and special sauce. The Big Mac Index later used its price as an informal comparison of purchasing power between currencies.