Jim Delligatti invented the Big Mac, first selling it at his Uniontown, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s restaurant.
Delligatti was one of McDonald’s early franchisees and developed the sandwich in 1967. It used two beef patties, a middle bun layer, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and the sauce later known worldwide as Big Mac sauce. The sandwich was intended to provide a more substantial item for customers who wanted a larger meal.
The Big Mac initially appeared in selected markets before becoming a national menu item in the United States in 1968. Its name and layered construction made it unusually useful as a branding device: the product was recognizable not only by taste but also by its distinctive shape and advertising language.
The Big Mac is sometimes confused with the Quarter Pounder, another signature McDonald’s sandwich. The Quarter Pounder uses a larger single beef patty, while the Big Mac is defined by its two patties and three-part bun.