McDonald’s Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Big Mac

 

McDonald’s is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its world famous Big Mac.

The Big Mac has been one of the most popular and best-selling items in the company’s history. It is known for being bigger than a usual hamburger, with two pieces of meat separated by an extra piece of bread in the middle. It is also made with special sauce and toppings.

As part of a memorable¹ advertising² campaign in the 1970s, the Big Mac’s ingredients were sung to music to help keep them in people’s minds.

Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce³, cheese, pickles⁴, onions on a sesame seed bun.

The Big Mac generally contains the same ingredients in McDonald’s restaurants around the world.

The Big Mac was invented in 1967 by Jim Delligatti, the local operator of several McDonald’s in the American state of Pennsylvania. He urged the company to let him sell the special hamburger at all the restaurants that he ran.

Delligatti died in 2016 at the age of 98. In a 2007 interview with Reuters, he said it took a long time to persuade McDonald’s that the Big Mac was a good idea. “I felt that we needed a big sandwich,” he said. “But you couldn’t do anything unless they gave you permission.”

McDonald’s finally agreed to let Delligati sell the sandwich at one of his McDonald’s restaurants. The company required him to use the same bun that other McDonald’s burgers were made with. For that reason, Delligati said, it did not sell well at first. When he changed to a bigger bun - topped with sesame seeds – sales of the sandwich increased by more than 12 percent.

After similar results at other stores, McDonald’s decided⁵ to add the Big Mac to all its restaurants in 1968. The Big Mac then grew to become an international food star. The Economist⁶ magazine has even used the price of the Big Mac to measure the purchasing power of different international currencies.

To celebrate the Big Mac’s lasting⁷ popularity, McDonald’s is launching a series of collectible MacCoins. They will available starting August 2 around the world. The company chose that day because August 2 would have been Jim Delligatti’s 100th birthday.

The coins can be shared or collected. People can also trade them in for a free Big Mac. McDonald’s plans to give away more than 6.2 million MacCoins in more than 50 nations. The coins come in five designs, each representing a different 10-year period with the Big Mac.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

sauce – n. a thick liquid put on food to add flavor

ingredient – n. one of the things used to make food or products

hamburger – n. a round, flat shape of meat that is cooked and eaten between pieces of bread

sandwich – n. two pieces of bread containing meat, cheese, etc.

bun – n. small, round piece of bread

1 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

2 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

3 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

4 pickles   

n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱

参考例句：

• Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。