Burger joints are as much a part of our American culture as the fish and chip shops are in England. On April 25, 1960, Michael James “Jim” Delligatti opened a drive-in restaurant franchise in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Jim’s drive-in operated on a streamlined technique in which they could deliver a hamburger, French fires, and a milkshake in 50 seconds or less. The menu consisted of just ten items: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, French fries, triple thick milkshakes, Coca Cola, root beer, Orangeade, milk, coffee, and hot chocolate. By using their assembly line process, they could prepare 36 hamburgers in just 110 seconds. Jim’s drive-in had the space to prepare 6,000 hamburgers a day. At $.15 each, the profit margin per hamburger was small, but they made up for it in volume. Customers flocked to Jim’s drive-in. The food was inexpensive, quick, and tasted good. A bright neon sign identified the drive-in. The brightly lit food preparation area was enclosed by 900 square feet of quarter-inch plate glass so customers could see that their food was served quickly in spotless surroundings. Business was so good that by 1971, Jim owned a dozen drive-in restaurant franchises in western Pennsylvania. Jim eventually owned 48 restaurants in the drive-in restaurant chain.
Jim always paid attention to what his customers wanted. After hearing that they desired a bigger sandwich, Jim went to work. After a short time—speed was of the utmost importance—Jim created a bigger sandwich by using items already on his menu and adding a unique sauce made from salted egg yolks, mustard, onion, garlic, and relish. In March of 1967, Jim used his Uniontown drive-in to test out his new sandwich. Demand exploded and Jim added his new creation to the menus of his other drive-ins. The results were the same. Jim’s larger sandwich was a hit, but the parent company did not want to alter their original menu. Jim explained, “they figured, why go to something else if (the original menu) was working so well?” Eventually, Jim’s creation was added to the national chain’s menus with resounding success. Since 1968, the chain has sold billions of Jim’s larger sandwiches. In 2006, the parent company estimated that they were selling 550 million of them each year at a rate of 17 each second.
Jim did not become wealthy off of his creation that is now sold in over 100 countries. Jim received no payment and no royalties for the creation, but that was okay with Jim. After more than six and a half decades, Jim’s Drive-In is still open. From the menu at the drive-in restaurant at 575 Morgantown Street in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, you can still order the sandwich Jim created there by combining two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions, on a sesame seed bun. It is said to be the most popular sandwich on the planet. Jim, the owner of a McDonald’s franchise, was the creator of the Big Mac. …and it’s time for lunch.
Sources:
1. The Evening Standard (Uniontown, Pennsylvania), April 12, 1960, p.7.
2. The Evening Standard, March 2, 1971, p.69.
3. Valley News (West Lebanon, New Hampshire), December 4, 2016, p.12.
4. “Michael James Delligatti,” Devlin Funeral Home, accessed May 3, 2026, https://www.devlinfuneralhome.
5. “Inventor of the Big Mac dies, aged 98,” BBC News, November 30, 2016, accessed May 3, 2026, https://www.bbc.com/news/