Who created the Big Mac for McDonald’s before its national launch?

Jim Delligatti created the Big Mac for McDonald’s before its national launch.

Delligatti was a McDonald’s franchisee who operated restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. He developed the larger sandwich because he believed customers wanted a more substantial option than the chain’s standard hamburger. The product’s layered construction and signature sauce gave it a distinctive identity within the menu.

McDonald’s tested the sandwich in selected restaurants before making it available nationwide in 1968. Its success demonstrated how franchisees could contribute ideas that later became important parts of the company’s branded menu.

Ray Kroc is sometimes incorrectly credited as the Big Mac’s inventor because he led McDonald’s corporate expansion. Kroc helped approve and promote the product, but Delligatti is recognized as the creator. The sandwich’s name and design subsequently became among McDonald’s most recognizable product branding.