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McDonald's fetes Big Mac's 50th on what would be its inventor's 100th birthday

July 30, 2018

McDonald's 50th Big Mac anniversary coin commemorations is aimed at rallying up some customer action this Thursday on the same day the inventor would have been 100 years old. The chain is giving out commemorative coins Aug. 2 to bid a birthday good wish to the sandwich, a news release said. Those coins can then be redeemed for a free Big Mac, beginning the next day.

Fifty years ago, McDonald's franchisee and Big Mac inventor Jim Delligatti invented what today may be the world's most iconic sandwich, according to his great grandson.

"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," Nick Delligatti, a fourth-generation McDonald's owner-operator. " 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 brand's coin-based celebration will starts in the U.S. during the lunch daypart Thursday at 14,000 U.S. participating restaurants. Coins are then redeemable starting the next day for a free Big Mac. The company said it will distribute about 6.2 million MacCoins in more than 50 countries as part of the campaign. 

The tokens feature five designs representing separate decades of the sandwich's existence, beginning in the '70s with a flower-power send-up. The '80s' coin alludes to pop art, while the '90s' token has abstract shapes. For the first decade of the millennium, the coins are focused on tech, while the one for this decade features art that revolves around the "evolution of communication," the brand said. 

Seven languages are featured in different designs including Arabic, English, Indonesian, Mandarin, Portuguese, French and Spanish. MacCoin has no cash value and is only redeemable for one free Big Mac at participating McDonald's restaurants through 2018.