The Creator Of McDonald's Big Mac Never Got Rich From The Game-Changing Burger

McDonald's Big Mac is so iconic that it's hard to imagine the fast food giant without it, even though fries are actually its best-selling item. But the chain's signature burger didn't debut until nearly three decades after its 1940 founding, having been developed by a Pittsburgh-area franchise owner. However, despite becoming a historic success, Jim Delligatti never received any royalties or financial reward. As he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2007, "Everybody thinks I did. But no way. All I got was a plaque."

Delligatti was interested in creating a larger burger because he believed his franchises needed it to compete. Burger King already had its classic Whopper, and Big Boy had a two-patty burger similar to what he designed after McDonald's gave him the go-ahead in 1967. The Big Mac's classic ingredients were later immortalized in its famous 1970s jingle, including the special sauce he formulated himself. He also initially sliced large sesame seed bakery buns into three pieces to create the burger's signature triple-bun structure. He first sold the Big Mac at his Uniontown, Pennsylvania, location, and it performed so well that McDonald's launched it nationally the following year, in 1968.

There are two competing stories, however, about the name's origin. A woman who worked as a secretary in McDonald's advertising department in 1967 claimed that an executive asked her for a possible name for the new burger, and she suggested Big Mac. Supporting her account, the company recognized her with a plaque in 1985. However, Delligatti's son, Michael, has stated that it was his father who came up with the name, telling the Associated Press, "He was often asked why he named it the Big Mac, and he said because Big Mc sounded too funny" (via CBS).

Jim Delligatti's contributions didn't end with the Big Mac, as he also played a role in the history of McDonald's breakfast. He was given the OK to sell donuts and other baked treats in the morning in 1970, and later began serving breakfast hotcakes and sausage to steel mill workers finishing overnight shifts. He eventually became one of McDonald's largest franchisees, with nearly 50 locations in Pennsylvania. His son Michael also told the Associated Press that he continued to eat at least one Big Mac a week even into his later years.

In 2007, Delligatti and his family decided to commemorate his game-changing burger by opening the Big Mac Museum Restaurant in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. The still-operating museum, which is located inside a working restaurant, boasts what is billed as the world's largest statue of the famous burger, as well as a large bust of Delligatti holding one and other displays and memorabilia.

Reflecting how much the Big Mac has become part of global culture and how widely it's sold around the world, the global economy utilizes the famous Big Mac Index. It's an unofficial way to compare purchasing power and currency values in different countries by looking at what the burger costs in each.