The Big Mac gave McDonald’s the “Big Mac” name first used in 1967. Franchisee Jim Delligatti created the sandwich in the Pittsburgh area as a larger alternative to the standard hamburger.
The sandwich used two beef patties, a middle bun section, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and the sauce later widely associated with it. Its distinctive stacked construction helped make the product a powerful part of McDonald’s visual and verbal branding.
The Big Mac name was not the first name considered. An earlier proposed name was “The Aristocrat,” but that title was rejected before the product received the shorter, more memorable name used today.
The Big Mac is often confused with the Quarter Pounder because both became major signature sandwiches. The Quarter Pounder is identified by the weight of its beef patty, while the Big Mac is identified by its two-patty, three-bun structure.