McDonald’s used Speedee as the name of its early hamburger-headed chef mascot.
Speedee appeared in McDonald’s branding during the company’s first major period of expansion after Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their redesigned restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1948. The character was associated with the brothers’ “Speedee Service System,” which emphasized fast, standardized food preparation.
Speedee is sometimes confused with Speedy Gonzales or with later McDonald’s characters such as Ronald McDonald. The character’s name referred to speed, an important selling point for the restaurant’s limited-menu operating model. Speedee’s image also appeared alongside an early logo featuring a stylized chef.
The mascot eventually disappeared as McDonald’s visual identity shifted toward the Golden Arches. Ronald McDonald and the arches became much more prominent in later advertising, while Speedee remained mainly a historical part of the brand’s early identity.