The creator of the McDonald’s Big Mac, Jim Delligatti, died in his home outside Pittsburgh Monday at age 98. The former franchisee came up with the idea for the sandwich in the mid-1960s, and it’s been a staple of fast food ever since.
But as The WEEKLY STANDARD’s Vic Matus noted earlier this year, it’s less a culinary icon than a cultural one to a new generation of American consumers, many of whom have access to relatively more robust burgers at the likes of Shake Shack and Five Guys.
The Big Mac, by comparison, is actually small. (My argument is we had smaller hands back then. Just kidding. But I do believe our appetites were smaller.) Those double patties total a mere 3.2 ounces—even smaller than the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. The sandwich, invented by Pittsburgh franchise owner Jim Delligatti in 1967, was more like a glorified triple-decker sandwich with a sauce similar to Thousand Island dressing and not ketchup. Today, the Big Mac (and McDonald’s) is faced with both healthier and more decadent alternatives. It’s edge is in terms of price and availability (no small edge worldwide). Even so, McDonald’s domestic burger sales have been stuck in a crawl, at about 1 to 2 percent a year for the last few years. According to the obtained memo, McDonald’s USA president Mike Andres is fully aware of the problem. Solutions include the possibility of using fresh over frozen beef, a larger sandwich called the Grand Mac, and a smaller version, too. Maybe it can be made-to-order, although this would certainly have an impact on delivery speed. Speaking of which, the company has lately been obsessed with order times. Too many new menu items have slowed things down. (McDonald’s is aiming to reduce its current three-plus minutes at the drive-thru down to one.) But with speed can come a sacrifice of quality: Order a Big Mac today (and I just might—for research purposes!), and you’ll probably be disappointed by its appearance. With three layers of bread (not exactly a selling point anymore), it can look sad and disheveled. Take a look at those small fried patties. Not quite enticing, are they?
McDonald’s announced earlier this month the addition of a smaller (Mac Jr.) and larger (Grand Mac) Big Mac offering to shake up the menu. The Mac Jr. has just one hamburger patty. The Grand version features a super-sized bun and patties.
Read more from Matus on the Big Mac in modern times here.
