Franchise News
The Wall Street Journal: Big Mac Creator Jim Delligatti Dies at 98
The popular Big Mac made its debut in 1965 thanks to Jim Delligatti, a McDonald’s franchisee.
The Pittsburgh-area McDonald’s franchisee who created the Big Mac nearly 50 years ago has died. Michael “Jim” Delligatti was 98.
Delligatti’s franchise was based in Uniontown, about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh, when he invented the chain’s signature burger with two all-beef patties, “special sauce,” lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun. The original price was only 45 cents, compared with the average $5 today.
McDonald’s resisted Delligatti’s idea at first because the brand’s simple lineup of cheeseburgers, fries and shakes were selling well. But Delligatti had a different vision in mind—he wanted to offer a bigger and jazzier burger. As it turns out, Delligatti’s risk paid off. The Big Mac did so well it spread to the rest of his 47 stores, then went national in 1968. Today, it is estimated that 550 million Big Macs are sold in the United States every year.
Delligatti also innovated by coming up with an early version of the chain’s breakfast offerings—hotcakes and sausages initially aimed at steelworkers returning home from overnight shifts.
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
