Michael James "Jim" Delligatti, the creator of the iconic Big Mac, died at the age of 98. The McDonald's Corp. (MCD) franchisee created the fast-food chain's signature hamburger nearly 50 years ago.
Delligatti passed away at his home in Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh. He is survived by his wife, two sons, five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Delligatti started as a McDonald's franchisee in the 1950s. His franchise was based in Uniontown, about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh, that grew to 48 stores over a period of more than 25 years. However, he struggled to compete with the Burger King and Big Boy chains.
In response to customers' desire for a bigger sandwich, Delligatti first thought up the concept for the Big Mac in 1965. However, his idea was met with resistance by top executives at McDonald's as the chain's limited menu was selling well.
Delligatti was later allowed to test the Big Mac in Uniontown, using only McDonald's ingredients. He started serving it at his McDonald's franchise in Uniontown in April 1967 for 45 cents.
The Big Mac consists of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions, on a three-part sesame seed bun.
The Big Mac proved immensely popular and was rolled out by McDonald's nationwide a year later, in 1968. It became one of McDonald's signature products and its sales continue to remain huge.
McDonald's sells about 550 million Big Macs annually in the U.S., with millions more in more than 100 countries around the world.
McDonald's is reportedly planning to launch two new version of its Big Mac - Mac Jr. and Grand Mac, next year. The burger giant has started testing its next generation Big Mac spin-off sandwiches in Florida.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com