In what year was the original McDonald's restaurant opened? 1940.
The McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, opened the original McDonald’s restaurant on May 15, 1940, in San Bernardino, California. The location stood at 1398 North E Street near West 14th Street, along the historic U.S. Route 66 corridor.
The restaurant began as a drive-in barbecue stand called “McDonald’s Famous Barbecue,” with carhops serving customers. After studying their sales, the brothers discovered that hamburgers generated most of the business. They then simplified the menu and introduced the Speedee Service System in 1948, emphasizing quick preparation, limited choices, and paper packaging.
The year 1948 is therefore an easy but incorrect alternative: it marks the brothers’ major shift toward their streamlined fast-food model, not the opening of the original restaurant. Another important date is 1955, when Ray Kroc opened a McDonald’s franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois, helping launch the modern corporation’s rapid expansion.