The McDonald brothers opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940.
Maurice and Richard McDonald opened the restaurant on May 15, 1940, on West 14th and North E Streets. It began as a drive-in barbecue restaurant rather than the streamlined hamburger operation later associated with the brand.
The brothers redesigned their business in 1948, closing temporarily and reopening with a limited menu, counter service, and a faster preparation system. That change created the foundation for the modern McDonald’s identity and operating model.
Ray Kroc did not open the original restaurant. He became involved later, first as a milkshake-mixer salesman and then as the franchise agent who expanded the system nationally. The San Bernardino site is therefore the starting point of the McDonald’s restaurant story, while Kroc is associated with its large-scale growth.