Who created the Big Mac, one of McDonald’s most recognizable branded products?

Jim Delligatti created the Big Mac, one of McDonald’s most recognizable branded products.

Delligatti was a McDonald’s franchisee in the Pittsburgh area who developed the large sandwich in the 1960s. He used three buns, two beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and the sauce that became closely associated with the product.

The sandwich was test-marketed in 1967 and introduced nationally in the United States in 1968. Its distinctive name and stacked construction made it more than a menu item: it became one of the company’s strongest product brands and a familiar symbol of McDonald’s worldwide identity.

Ray Kroc is often credited with expanding McDonald’s, but he did not invent the Big Mac. Fred Turner was an important McDonald’s executive, while Delligatti is the franchisee credited with creating the sandwich.