What corporate name did McDonald’s Systems, Inc. adopt in 1960?

McDonald’s Systems, Inc. adopted the corporate name McDonald’s Corporation in 1960.

The change came during a period when the restaurant business was becoming a larger and more standardized franchise organization. The company had originally used the name McDonald’s System, Inc., reflecting the operating methods and franchise system that Ray Kroc developed around the McDonald brothers’ restaurant concept.

The new name, McDonald’s Corporation, helped establish the identity under which the company would expand nationally and internationally. It also separated the corporation’s formal legal identity from individual restaurants, franchisees, and particular advertising campaigns. The brand name itself remained the prominent public-facing identifier.

This corporate change is sometimes confused with the creation of the Golden Arches logo or with Kroc’s purchase of the McDonald brothers’ business interests. Those were separate milestones. The 1960 event concerned the company’s official corporate name, not a new menu item or a redesign of the restaurant symbol.