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McDonalds' MacCoins will be good for free Big Macs | TribLIVE.com
Food & Drink

McDonalds' MacCoins will be good for free Big Macs

Shirley McMarlin
Shirley McMarlin
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As the Big Mac turns 50, burger lovers can thank its creator, early McDonalds franchisee Michael 'Jim' Delligatti, who whipped up the first one in 1967 in his Uniontown restaurant. Delligatti, who died in 2016 at 98, is seen here at his 90th birthday party in Canonsburg.
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FILE - This Dec. 29, 2009 file photo shows a Big Mac hamburger at a McDonald's restaurant in North Huntingdon, Pa. The fast food restaurant is celebrating the sandwich's 50th anniversary in 2018. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

As McDonalds celebrates the 50th anniversary of its two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun, all you Big Mac lovers have some Western Pennsylvania ingenuity to thank.

The iconic Big Mac was created in 1967 by early McDonald's franchisee Jim Delligatti, who served the "Big Mac Super Sandwich" in his Uniontown restaurant. The national chain shortened the name when it picked up Delligatti's masterpiece the following year.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary (and maybe in a nod to Bitcoin), McDonalds is introducing a MacCoin on Aug. 2.

Beginning at lunch time that day, customers buying a Big Mac will get a MacCoin that can be redeemed starting the next day for another Big Mac at 14,000 participating restaurants across the U.S.

More than 6.2 million MacCoins will be distributed here and in more than 50 countries while supplies last. The commemorative coins feature five designs, each representing a decade of the Big Mac.

McDonalds says about 550 million Big Macs are sold annually, so in 50 years that's ... um, well ... a lot of Big Macs.

(For you McDonalds trivia buffs, Delligatti also gets credit for whipping up the first Egg McMuffin in 1970.)

Though sales figures show that trendier burgers are cutting into McDonalds' business, the chain says it has no intention of messing with the Big Mac.

Why mess with perfection?

"When my great-grandfather Jim Delligatti invented the Big Mac at his grill in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he just wanted to make his local customers happy," said Nick Delligatti, a fourth-generation McDonald's owner-operator, in a release. "August 2 would have been his 100th birthday, and I believe he would be very proud knowing his humble sandwich has made such a lasting impression that people all around the world can enjoy it wherever they find a McDonald's."

The Big Mac has inspired raps and eating challenges (along with some NSFW) videos). This one is good, though.

Health nuts might decry its 540 calories, 950 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbs and 28 grams of fat, but who can deny that it just tastes so good?

Thanks again, Mr. Delligatti – here's to another 50 years of salty, cheesy, gooey, burgery bliss.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-836-5750, smcmarlin@tribweb.com or via Twitter @shirley_trib.