McDonald's (NYSE: MCD
) sells an impressive 600 million Big Mac sandwiches a year. Credit for
the invention of that hit product goes to one of the company's first
franchisees, Jim Delligatti, who in 1968 persuaded the chain to put his store's
sandwich into nationwide distribution.
But the beef-stacked burger might never have reached its
blockbuster status without the contribution of a 21-year-old secretary named
Esther Rose: She helped persuade management to drop the name "Blue Ribbon
Burger" in favor of the now-iconic "Big Mac." Suffering from a
"Blue Ribbon Burger" attack just doesn't have the same ring. Read more.