The first McDonald’s restaurant was founded in San Bernardino, California, on May 15, 1940.
Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the restaurant at 1398 North E Street at West 14th Street. It began as a hamburger stand and later developed into a drive-in operation, reflecting the growing importance of automobiles and carhop service in mid-century Southern California.
The brothers initially offered a broader barbecue-oriented menu. After studying their sales, they realized hamburgers generated most of the business. Their 1948 redesign introduced the Speedee Service System, a tightly organized, self-service model that emphasized fast preparation, low prices, and high volume.
May 15, 1940, refers to the McDonald brothers’ original restaurant. It is often confused with April 15, 1955, the opening date of Ray Kroc’s Des Plaines restaurant, which McDonald’s later promoted as its first location even though the San Bernardino site came fifteen years earlier.