The Big Mac is the McDonald’s product associated with the brand’s 1967 creation.
Franchisee Jim Delligatti created the sandwich in 1967 at a McDonald’s restaurant near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He wanted to offer a larger hamburger that could compete with similar products sold by rival restaurants. The sandwich used two beef patties, a sesame-seed bun with an additional middle section, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and Big Mac sauce.
The product was tested regionally before being introduced across the United States in 1968. Its distinctive name and construction made it more than another menu item: it became one of McDonald’s most recognizable branded products.
The Big Mac is sometimes dated only to its nationwide launch. That date is 1968, while the sandwich’s creation and initial sale began in 1967. Both years therefore appear in reliable histories, referring to different stages of its rollout.