The man who created the Big Mac dies aged 98 after decades of eating at least one of his creations a week (but he preferred the Hotcakes and Sausage)

  • Michael 'Jim' Delligatti died at home surrounded by his family on Monday
  • His franchise was based in Uniontown when he invented signature burger nearly 50 years ago
  • Big Mac famously includes two all-beef patties, 'special sauce,' lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun and hasn't changed
  • McDonald's resisted the idea because its existing menu was selling well
  • Delligatti wanted to offer a bigger burger and it spread to his 47 stores first, before going national in 1968 to more than 1,000 locations
  • While he ate Big Macs regularly, he preferred items from the breakfast menu - which he also pioneered 

By Associated Press

Published: 10:55 EST, 30 November 2016 | Updated: 17:14 EST, 30 November 2016

The Pittsburgh-area McDonald's franchisee who created the Big Mac nearly 50 years ago has died. 

Michael 'Jim' Delligatti was 98.

McDonald's spokeswoman Kerry Ford confirmed that Delligatti died at home surrounded by his family on Monday night.

According to his son, Delligatti ate at least one 540-calorie Big Mac a week for decades.  

Michael 'Jim' Delligatti, the Pittsburgh-area McDonald's franchisee who created the Big Mac in 1967, has died. He was 98

The Big Mac includes two all-beef patties, 'special sauce,' lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun and hasn't changed since its second day - when a piece of center bread was added. It first sold for 45 cents

Delligatti's franchise was based in Uniontown when in 1967 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 Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald's resisted the idea at first because its simple lineup of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries and shakes was selling well.

But Delligatti wanted to offer a bigger burger and it went over so well it spread to the rest of Delligatti's 47 stores, then went national in 1968. 

'I felt that we needed a big sandwich,' the Delligatti told Reuters in a 2007 interview. 'But you couldn't do anything unless they gave you permission.'

To Delligatti's delight, the product was 'an immediate success,' he said, adding that the recipe has not really changed in the 40 years.

'The first day we just used the regular bun, we didn't have any center (bread) slice,' Delligatti said. 'Making it that way made it very sloppy. The next day we put the center slice in, and today it looks the same.'

When Delligatti created the Big Mac in 1967, it cost 45 cents and McDonald's had just 1,000 restaurants.

In 2008 Delligatti had a Big Mac birthday cake at his 90th birthday party

Despite its ubiquity, Delligatti said he never received much from McDonald's for creating the Big Mac and got no royalties or bonus money.

'All I got for the Big Mac was a plaque,' he said, adding that he prefers eating the chain's Hotcakes and Sausage, another menu item for which he is responsible.

 Delligatti also helped introduce breakfast service at McDonald's, developing the hotcakes and sausage meal to feed hungry steelworkers on their way home from overnight shifts in the mills, his family said. 

'Delligatti was a legendary franchisee within McDonald's system who made a lasting impression on our brand,' McDonald's said Wednesday in a statement. The Big Mac 'has become an iconic sandwich enjoyed by many around the world.'

Delligatti headed M&J Management, a four-generation family business and McDonald's franchise organization, for more than 60 years. 

He opened his first McDonald's in Pittsburgh's North Hills suburbs in 1957. 

In 1979, he co-founded Pittsburgh's Ronald McDonald House, then the seventh such facility in the country, where families can stay when children travel to Pittsburgh for life-saving medical care, and he was involved in several other charities.

 The Michigan State graduated McDonald's during a trip to the National Restaurant Association trade show in Chicago in 1956.

In addition to his two sons, Jim Delligatti is survived by his wife, Ellie, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

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