Jim Delligatti created the Big Mac while operating a McDonald’s franchise in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
Delligatti was one of McDonald’s earliest franchisees and developed the sandwich in 1967. His version used two beef patties, a middle bun section, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and the sauce that became strongly associated with the Big Mac.
McDonald’s initially tested the sandwich in the Pittsburgh area before adding it to menus nationally in 1968. The product became one of the company’s most recognizable branded menu items and helped give McDonald’s a signature sandwich with a distinctive name and visual structure.
The Big Mac is sometimes credited directly to Ray Kroc because he led the company during its national expansion. Kroc did not invent the sandwich, however; the credited creator was franchisee Jim Delligatti.