The Origin Of McDonald's Big Mac Starts With Steel Workers
Want to win your next trivia night? We're offering some facts you didn't know about McDonald's Big Mac, going right back to the beginning. When businessman Michael James "Jim" Delligatti first opened his McDonald's store in 1957, he knew he needed to take a smart approach to getting customers into the doors of his franchise. Thus, the entrepreneur's first location in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, ushered in hungry workers from steel factories located in the surrounding area. At the end of a long day, the employees were understandably starved. Yet, the original, somewhat flimsy burgers that Delligatti sold disappointed the famished workers.
When Delligatti looked at the big layered sandwiches pushed across tables at local diners and another chain restaurant called Big Boy, where towering burgers were stacked and served, he knew something needed to change. Delligatti pitched a two-patty burger to the higher-ups at McDonald's, but the company was at first resistant to changing the menu beyond the standard hamburger. However, Delligatti was insistent and ultimately given permission to place the towering burger onto menus if he used items that were already offered at the restaurant. This time, those steel workers wouldn't leave his business still hungry.
How the Big Mac was made and named
Concerning McDonald's condition that he use pre-existing menu items, Delligatti nearly complied but ultimately decided to use seeded sesame buns that he bought fresh from a neighborhood bakery. In time, the pillowy buns were packed with the Big Mac sauce that Delligatti perfected, plus the double patties, cheese, pickles, and onions to make a sandwich that was sold for 45 cents each. The Big Mac cost slightly more by 1974, but not much. This stacked burger found favor with customers and employees alike, and the success of the double-patty burger recipe led to a nationwide product and a sturdy meal that was advertised around the world.
As for the name, that didn't come until later. Initially, the chain was between calling it the "Blue Ribbon Burger" or "The Aristocrat." Instead, a 21-year-old secretary named Esther Rose is credited for the catchy "Big Mac" moniker. As for the sandwich itself, Delligatti is rumored to have regularly eaten at least one of these monster burgers weekly over the course of his life. When served with a batch of warm, salted fries, it is no wonder this meaty burger (above every other McDonald's burger) has withstood the test of time.