McDonald's introduced the Speedee Service System in 1948.
Richard and Maurice McDonald redesigned their San Bernardino restaurant around a limited menu, assembly-line preparation, and rapid counter service. The system used a cartoon chef named Speedee as its visual symbol, emphasizing speed and consistency rather than the broader family imagery associated with McDonald's later branding.
The Speedee system became an important bridge between the brothers' original drive-in restaurant and the standardized fast-food chain later developed with Ray Kroc. Its principles—reduced menu complexity, repeatable procedures, and quick service—helped shape the operating identity that customers came to associate with the brand.
A common mix-up is confusing 1948 with 1955, the year Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald's franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois. The earlier date refers to the brothers' service-system redesign, not the beginning of Kroc's corporate expansion.