Who invented the Big Mac, the McDonald’s hamburger introduced in 1967?

Jim Delligatti invented the Big Mac, the McDonald’s hamburger introduced in 1967.

Delligatti was a McDonald’s franchisee in the Pittsburgh area who developed a larger sandwich with two beef patties, a middle bun section, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and special sauce. The sandwich was designed to appeal to customers seeking a more substantial meal than McDonald’s standard hamburger.

The Big Mac was first sold in the Pittsburgh area in 1967 and became available nationally in the United States in 1968. Its three-part bun and distinctive sauce gave it a strong visual identity, making the product itself an important part of McDonald’s branding.

Ray Kroc is often mistakenly credited with inventing the sandwich because he led McDonald’s corporate expansion. Kroc did not create it; Delligatti did. The sandwich’s name and construction later became so recognizable that The Economist created the “Big Mac Index” as an informal comparison of international purchasing power.