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It’s big, it’s imposing and it has a sauce all of its own. The Big Mac might be one of the only irreplaceable burgers in the world that can only be found in one place. McDonald’s came up with its magic formula in 1967, and since then, it has remained the great symbol of the fast food empire.
The chain’s legendary burger even has a museum that worships it from Pennsylvania. Specifically, from inside a restaurant in North Huntingdon, which houses an exhibition that reviews all its milestones, together with a 4.5 metre high sculpture of the Big Mac and a life-size bust of its creator Jim Delligatti.
The Big Mac is not only consumed as art, but also as a gauge of the global economy. In 1986, the ‘Big Mac Index’ was launched, with which one could find out whether currencies are at the ‘right’ level based on the price of the hamburger. On the basis of its results, differences in consumer purchasing power can be demonstrated; and the level of international currencies can be regulated or checked.
Jim Delligatti’s legacy
Although it may seem that this burger has always been part of the McDonald’s universe, the reality is that it did not arrive on the menu until 27 years after its foundation. And it was thanks to its inventor Michael James ‘Jim’ Delligatti, who put it on sale for 45 cents, more than double the price of a normal hamburger in the restaurant at the time. Let’s take a look at its history.
After fighting in World War II, Deligatti would take off in the restaurant business when he attended the 1955 National Restaurant Association trade show, one of the largest annual gatherings of restaurant professionals. There he would meet Ray Kroc, a franchise broker who bought McDonald’s, of which Jim became one of its most important franchisees.
Delligatti’s first McDonald’s opened in western Pennsylvania in 1957, and over the next 25 years he opened 47 more in the Pittsburgh area. As a way to distance himself from competition from powerhouse chains like Big Boy and Burger King, he decided to make a much larger hamburger to satisfy his customers’ relentless hunger.
With that disruptive idea in mind, he would lobby the company to allow him to offer a burger with two beef burgers. After two years of struggle, he achieved his goal. He also succeeded in introducing the breakfast menu at McDonald’s, serving pancakes and sausage to Pennsylvania steelworkers who needed something to eat after their night shifts.
Thus, the Big Mac would make its official debut on 22 April 1967, backed by advertisements that deified it as a ‘burger with two freshly ground patties, melted cheese, crisp lettuce, pickles and our own special sauce’. Delligatti would mark a before and after in the chain’s history and transcendence in pop culture.
The burger would be a hit at its first location, despite being twice the price of the other products, spreading its influence throughout McDonald’s restaurants across the country, and subsequently the universe. Now, after almost 60 years of history, it remains the great icon of the Golden Arches.
