The Big Mac was introduced in 1968 and became one of McDonald’s most famous brand names.
The sandwich was created by Jim Delligatti, a McDonald’s franchisee who operated restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. It used two beef patties, a middle bun layer, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and sauce. Its distinctive three-part bun and layered construction made it visually memorable as well as easy to identify in advertising.
The Big Mac helped McDonald’s build a stronger product identity beyond the general category of hamburgers. The name became internationally recognizable and was later used in comparisons such as the Economist’s Big Mac Index.
The sandwich is sometimes confused with the Quarter Pounder because both are flagship McDonald’s burgers. 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, middle bun, and signature layered design.