Big Mac® Sauce

The Story of the Big Mac® Special Sauce

When McDonald’s franchise owner Jim Delligatti first came up with his double patty, triple bun creation in 1967, he needed the perfect sauce to top it off. By 1968, the Big Mac® was launched nationally, and featured this delicious, creamy signature Big Mac® Special Sauce.

Over the next few years, the Big Mac Sauce ingredients were fine-tuned, and there were  two different versions of the McDonald’s Special Sauce being used. To eliminate inconsistency, a single recipe was developed that satisfied customers who had a taste for either one. This became Big Mac® Sauce recipe “72.”

In 1974, the name “Special Sauce” was used in the famous advertising campaign: "Two all-beef patties, Special Sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun.“

The recipe was again tweaked in 1991 and remained that way until 2004 when Fred Turner, who had worked alongside founder Ray Kroc, wanted it changed back.

After tracking down the original formula in the McDonald’s archives, Turner contacted the supplier who had helped develop the McDonald’s Special Sauce years ago, and the McDonald’s Special Sauce recipe was returned.

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