Which McDonald's product did Jim Delligatti create in 1967?

Jim Delligatti created the Big Mac for McDonald's in 1967.

Delligatti was a McDonald's franchisee who operated restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. He developed the oversized hamburger to compete with larger sandwiches sold by rival fast-food restaurants. The sandwich used two beef patties, a middle bun section, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and the sauce later associated with the Big Mac.

The product was tested in the Pittsburgh market before McDonald's introduced it nationally in 1968. Its distinctive three-part bun and layered construction gave the sandwich a visual identity that became closely tied to McDonald's branding. The name “Big Mac” also became one of the company's most internationally recognized product names.

A common mix-up is assigning the sandwich's creation to Ray Kroc, McDonald's corporate leader at the time. Kroc approved its wider rollout, but Delligatti was the franchisee credited with developing the product. The Big Mac later became a reference point for comparing prices between countries through The Economist's informal Big Mac Index.