In McDonald's branding history, what was the company's original 1940 restaurant name?

McDonald's original 1940 restaurant name was McDonald's Bar-B-Q.

Maurice and Richard McDonald opened the restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. It was a drive-in barbecue restaurant, and its early identity reflected that menu rather than the hamburger-focused branding associated with the company today.

The brothers later simplified the business. In 1948, they closed temporarily, reorganized the operation around a limited menu, and reopened as a self-service hamburger restaurant. This change helped establish the speed-oriented system that became central to McDonald's brand identity.

The name is often remembered incorrectly as if the restaurant began with its modern hamburger positioning. The early barbecue name is important because it shows that McDonald's branding developed alongside major changes in the restaurant's menu, service model, and operating system.