Here's Who Actually Who Came Up With The Big Mac Name
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear McDonald's? Is it the trademark Golden Arches or the grinning visage of that burger-slinging jester Ronald McDonald? Do you think of Quarter Pounders served with those famously crispy shoestring fries? Or do you think of buying a 40-piece McNuggets order as a quick dinner on a Friday night? Needless to say, there are a lot of things that come to mind when someone mentions McDonald's. One particular item we're going to be talking about today is something that you could say symbolizes everything about America's fast-food haven in between two sesame seed buns: the Big Mac.
The ingredients of a Big Mac, if the classic jingle from the 1970s is to be believed, are rather simple: "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun." Despite this simple no-frills combination of ingredients, the Big Mac still remains one of McDonald's most popular menu items. Reference estimates that an astounding 2.4 million Big Macs are sold each day across the world, with the United States of America being the obvious leader in Big Mac consumption, with Japan following in second. The Big Mac isn't just a big burger — it's a big money-maker too.
It may be hard to believe, but this keystone menu item was the product of an enterprising franchisee and a creative secretary.
The Big Mac was christened by a secretary
Look at any tourist brochure for Pennsylvania and you'll see the usual gimmicky tourism fare. You know, stuff like Philadelphia, The Liberty Bell, Hersheypark, and so on. It may surprise you to learn that the Big Mac was actually born in PA, right in Uniontown outside of Pittsburgh.
According to Fox News, it was 1967 when McDonald's franchisee Jim Delligatti decided to introduce a new menu item that would stand out from the kid-friendly cheeseburgers and fries his restaurant offered. Delligatti decided to sandwich two burgers together into one massive burger and put it on his menu, hoping that it would attract a more "adult" crowd. After all, grown-ups have grown-up appetites, right? It seems that Delligatti's hunch was correct: Not only did the sandwich take off at his restaurant, but it was only a year later that McDonald's put his creation on menus across the United States.
So, how did the burger that would come to define the restaurant of the Golden Arches get its name? The Associated Press tells us that it was named by Esther Glickstein Rose, a secretary who worked in the McDonald's advertising department. Although she named the sandwich the "Big Mac," her contribution wasn't recognized by the company until 1985, 17 years after the fact. Although Rose never asked for money, her name was engraved on a plaque, bearing the sandwich that she so famously named.
There's an actual Big Mac museum in North Huntington
Now, when you have something as popular as the Big Mac gracing your menu and bringing in insane profits year after year, you'd want to do something to commemorate just how much this burger means to your company. McDonald's did exactly that, opening the "Big Mac Museum" in North Huntington, Pennsylvania.
According to Discover the Burgh, the museum is a combination of a working McDonald's and a time capsule, dedicated to the history and achievements of the Big Mac sandwich. There's not only a timeline detailing the Big Mac's life from its creation to its current popularity, but also a small collection of other McDonald's memorabilia, like wrappers, Happy Meal toys, and vintage packaging. Perhaps most prominent in the museum is an enormous Big Mac statue in the Playland area, letting even the youngest customers enjoy the sesame seed splendor of the famous burger.
Uncovering PA, however, tells us that this museum isn't actually the first place the Big Mac was ever sold. In fact, the location, another franchised restaurant once owned by Jim Delligatti, was supposedly only chosen because it was much larger than the original Uniontown McDonald's and could have more space for the exhibits. At least there's a statue of Delligatti in the eating area to memorialize him.