McDonald's Big Mac: Delectable Ross Creation Turns 55

ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA — If you’re old enough to remember a certain 1970s ad campaign, you probably still have the ingredients wedged in the back of your mind: Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.

Those are the ingredients of a McDonald's Big Mac, the undisputed king of fast food sandwiches, a man among boys when it comes to Burger King's Whopper, Wendy's Dave's Triple or Hardee's Super Star.

The Big Mac turns 55 this year, and the anniversary rekindles thoughts of the sandwich's origins in a Pittsburgh suburb, a history available online and at the Big Mac Museum in Westmoreland County.

You read that correctly. There is a Big Mac Museum.

The history: Franchisee Jim Delligatti invented the Big Mac while experimenting in the kitchen of his McDonald’s on McKnight Road in Ross. A short time later, he began selling the burgers first called the Aristocrat (egad!) and the Blue Ribbon Burger (equally dreadful) - in his restaurant in Uniontown, Fayette County.

They sold for 45 cents.

Big Macs proved to be so popular that Delligatti in 1968 was able to convince McDonald's corporate types to begin selling them nationwide. In doing so, a case can be made that he became the most significant person in the company's existence save for founder Ray Kroc.

How many Big Macs are sold annually? McDonald's media relations staff did not immediately respond with an answer, but past estimates placed the number at 550 million annually just in America.

The Big Mac so embedded itself into the hearts, minds and stomachs of diners that it has its own museum. It’s one of the few things the Big Mac has in common with Andy Warhol, another Pittsburgh product.

Located in a McDonald's in North Huntingdon, the Big Mac Museum exhibits include the world’s tallest Big Mac statue; tabletops laminated with images and trivia about the triple-decker sandwich; and flat-panel LCD display screens displaying trivia about the Mac and McDonald’s.

What's next for the the powerhouse burger? Some might consider it an act of culinary sacrilege, but McDonald's announced last month it would begin testing changes changes to the Big Mac in select markets.

In a release, McDonald's promised "softer, pillowy buns" toasted to a golden brown; perfectly melted cheese; juicier, caramelized flavor from adding white onions to the patties while they're still on the grill; and gobs more of the beloved secret sauce.

Hopefully the changes won't be too dramatic. As millions of Big Mac lovers will attest, Delligatti hit a home run in the kitchen of that Ross McDonald's in the '60s.

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