Donald Gorske, a Wisconsin resident, has extended his Guinness World Record for consuming the most Big Macs in a lifetime, surpassing 35,000 burgers as of mid-March. His dedication to the McDonald’s signature sandwich spans over 50 years, a habit he maintains while insisting that his cholesterol and blood sugar levels remain within normal ranges.
Gorske, 71, first earned the Guinness title in 1999 and has continued to build on it ever since. He meticulously documents each meal with receipts and containers, providing an extensive record of his fast-food devotion.
A Lifelong Commitment to Big Macs
Gorske’s love affair with the Big Mac began on 17 May 1972, and he has consistently eaten two of them daily. He attributes his wife Mary’s support of his habit to a promise he made never to complain about her lack of cooking.
“There’s nothing to make it be called a disorder,” Gorske said, dismissing concerns about his dietary routine.
His commitment is evident in his home, where an electric stove purchased before his 1975 wedding remains almost untouched.
“It’s more or less a decoration,” he said. “We needed it to fill the space in between the cupboards. There’s nothing to make me want to use a stove ever.”
A Dedicated Dining Spot
Gorske is a well-known figure at his local McDonald’s in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he has a designated booth marked with his name. This spot holds sentimental value, as it is where he proposed to Mary when the location was still a parking lot.
Though he occasionally dines in, most of his meals are taken home, refrigerated or frozen, and later microwaved. This practice minimizes travel expenses and ensures he always has access to his favorite meal, even in severe weather conditions.
“That’s a special spot to me,” Gorske said, noting that the restaurant owner has displayed his picture on the wall.
A Collection of Big Mac History
Over the years, Gorske has amassed a vast collection of Big Mac cartons. Initially stored in his attic, the collection outgrew the space in 2006 and has since occupied his basement, overwhelming visitors with its sheer volume.
“You can rub your hand over just hundreds and hundreds of cartons,” he said. “Every two cartons represent a day of my life—it’s kind of a weird thing when you see something like that.”
Among his most treasured keepsakes are two Big Mac cartons permanently stored in his freezer. These contain the last burgers he purchased from the McDonald’s where he proposed to Mary before the location was rebuilt.
“My wife jokes that she’ll probably throw them in my coffin because I’ll never get around to eating those,” he said.
A Simple Lifestyle
Gorske, a retired corrections officer, spends much of his free time participating in local senior bowling leagues. Despite his internet fame, he does not own a cell phone or computer and remains largely disconnected from the digital world.
For those considering a challenge to his record, he offers a word of caution: “To break this record, you’d have to eat Big Macs for 50 years … and you’d have to really like Big Macs.”
“For me, it’s easy—I already do it every day. I’m just one of those people who can eat Big Macs constantly, and it’s not going to affect my health at all.”
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