McDonald's adopted the corporate name McDonald's Corporation in 1960.
The company had previously operated under the name McDonald's System, Inc. The change reflected the growing importance of the McDonald's name as the chain expanded through franchising and developed a more unified national identity.
Ray Kroc had joined the McDonald brothers' business as a franchise agent in the 1950s and opened a highly influential restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955. As the organization grew, its legal and public identity increasingly centered on the McDonald's brand rather than simply on a restaurant operating system.
The corporate-name change should not be confused with the opening of the first McDonald's restaurant or the creation of the Golden Arches. Those were separate milestones. Corporate naming, restaurant design, trademarks, and advertising slogans each developed on their own timelines, even though together they shaped the brand recognized worldwide.