Don Gorske was honored after reaching the meaty milestone during a ceremony at a McDonald’s in his hometown of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Surely McDonald’s most loyal customer, Guinness World Records recognized Gorske’s feat three years and 2,000 Big Macs ago, and the 57-year-old says he has no desire to stop.
“I plan on eating Big Macs until I die,” he said. “I have no intentions of changing. It’s still my favorite food. Nothing has changed in 39 years. I look forward to it every day.”
Before he ate No. 25,000, he showed dozens of onlookers many of the different styles of cartons he has collected over the years and other Big Mac-related stories.
Gorske, who appeared in the 2004 documentary “Super Size Me,” which examined the fast food industry, looks nothing like one might expect of a fast food junkie. He’s trim and walks regularly for exercise, and he attributes his build to being “hyperactive.” He said he was recently given a clean bill of health and that his cholesterol is low.
Gorske’s obsession with the burger — two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun, for those not familiar with the once-ubiquitous ads — started May 17, 1972, when he bought three Big Macs to celebrate the purchase of a new car. He was hooked, and went back to McDonald’s twice more that day, eating nine before they closed.
McDonald’s says there are 540 calories in a Big Mac, which is more than a quarter of the calories a person on a 2,000-calorie diet would consume. The burger also contains 29 grams of fat and 1,040 grams of sodium, which are both more than 40 percent of the Food and Drug Administration’s daily recommended value for a 2,000-calorie diet.