Speedee represented McDonald's speedy service before Ronald McDonald appeared.
Speedee was a chef-like character used by McDonald's after the brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald developed their fast-service restaurant system. The character's name came from the idea of speed, which was central to the restaurant's early identity.
The McDonald brothers opened their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940 and redesigned it around a simplified production system in 1948. Speedee fit that system's emphasis on quick preparation and standardized food. The early branding also used the phrase “Speedee Service System.”
People sometimes confuse Speedee with later McDonald's characters. Ronald McDonald became the chain's best-known mascot in the 1960s, while characters such as the Hamburglar and Grimace were added later. Speedee belongs to the company's earliest branding era, before the modern character lineup was established.