The man behind one of America's greatest creations, the Big Mac, has passed away.
Jim Delligatti died at the age of 98 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Monday, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. McDonald's released an email statement of his passing.
Delligatti first introduced the famous burger at his Uniontown, Pennsylvania franchise in 1968. Forty years later, McDonald's was selling 550 million of the burgers a year. The Big Mac did not catch on nationally, though, until after other franchises in Toledo, Ohio started selling them, Bloomberg noted.
Delligatti was also a pioneer in selling breakfast. He sold hotcakes and sausages to steel workers. The World War II veteran owned over 40 franchise locations in western Pennsylvania.
A point of pride for Delligatti was that he never made his famous secret sauce recipe public. The recipe for the Big Mac–two beef patties, cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, and special sauce in a sesame seed bun–has not changed since he first introduced it nearly a half century ago.
