The Big Mac was nearly called something entirely different

For nearly six decades, you’ve been able to order two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun at McDonald’s. Had things played out differently, however, you may not have called that burger a Big Mac. 

McDonald’s franchisee Jim Delligatti of Pittsburgh is credited with introducing the Big Mac in 1967 as a competitor to the burgers served at other local restaurants. A year later, the Big Mac expanded to restaurants nationwide, becoming one of the most beloved McDonald’s menu items.

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Delligatti admitted to the Los Angeles Times in 1993 that he didn’t conceive the Big Mac from thin air. Instead, he said it was inspired by burgers competitors were serving — Big Boy (aka Bob’s Big Boy) has a similar burger, the Big Boy.

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Despite its current moniker and the similarity to its competition, the Big Mac nearly had a name more fitting to be paired with a light lager or high-end establishment: Early on, the top name suggestion for Delligatti’s burger was the “Blue Ribbon Burger,” not to be confused with Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. “The Aristocrat” was also an early contender.

Then came along 21-year-old Esther Glickstein Rose, a secretary in the McDonald’s advertising company.

As she explained to The Associated Press, an executive en route to a board meeting asked her to suggest a name for the new, then-secret burger. 

There were laughs aplenty when she suggested Big Mac. 

Yet the name stuck, and was soon found on McDonald’s menus nationwide. 

Still, it took 17 years for Rose to be recognized (with a plaque and some coupons) for her contribution. She never received any money from the company, though she admitted she never asked.

Speaking of money, you could’ve used the change sitting in your cup holder to buy the first Big Macs. They joined the menu at just 45 cents each, a point of contention for executives, according to Delligatti. While a small price today, it was double that of the company’s cheeseburger. (For context, that 1967 price equates to about $4.40 today, when accounting for inflation.) 

Delligatti, who was also honored only with a plaque, adored his burger addition so highly, he opened the Big Mac Museum Restaurant in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, in 2007 with the backing of McDonald’s.

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Delligatti has claims to another McDonald’s favorite, the Hotcakes and Sausage Meal. He offered it to local steelworkers coming from their night shifts, according to the New York Times. 

The Big Mac has, meanwhile, largely remained the same since Delligatti brought it to his restaurants, though there have been spinoffs. Take, for example, the Chicken Big Mac unveiled last year, or the Double Big Mac.

McDonald’s estimates that 550 million Big Macs are sold in the U.S. annually.