In McDonald's branding history, the early chef mascot shown on restaurant signs was named Speedee.
Speedee was a smiling chef character used by McDonald's before Ronald McDonald became the chain's best-known advertising figure. The character reflected the restaurant's original emphasis on speed and its Speedee Service System, introduced by Richard and Maurice McDonald at their San Bernardino, California, restaurant.
The name is sometimes confused with the later McDonald's characters because both were designed to communicate quick, friendly service. Speedee was not a Hamburglar-style story character and was not the name of the restaurant's Golden Arches. The mascot also appeared before McDonald's nationwide visual identity had settled around the golden arches.
Ronald McDonald eventually replaced Speedee in consumer-facing advertising, especially as the company developed a larger cast of characters and a more elaborate family-oriented brand. Speedee nevertheless belongs to the chain's earliest identity and helps explain why speed was central to McDonald's first promotional language.