The restaurant founded in San Bernardino in 1940 was originally named McDonald’s Bar-B-Q.
Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the restaurant on May 15, 1940. It began as a drive-in barbecue restaurant offering a broad menu, rather than the highly streamlined hamburger operation that later made the McDonald’s name famous.
In 1948, the brothers closed the restaurant temporarily and reorganized it around a limited menu and self-service system. Hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes became central, and the Speedee Service System helped establish the fast-food model associated with the company.
The original name is often overlooked because later branding focused on hamburgers, the Golden Arches, and the McDonald’s wordmark. “McDonald’s Bar-B-Q” refers to the founding restaurant’s initial identity, not a later product or slogan.