What name did McDonald’s give its training center when it opened in 1961?

McDonald’s named its training center Hamburger University when it opened in 1961.

The facility was created to train restaurant managers and other McDonald’s personnel in operations, service, food preparation, and company standards. Its playful name made the center memorable while signaling that restaurant management was treated as a professional discipline within the growing chain.

Hamburger University began at McDonald’s headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. Over time, the organization expanded its educational role and developed international campuses and programs to support franchisees and employees around the world.

The center was not a conventional degree-granting university in the usual sense. Its purpose was specialized corporate education. The name became an important part of McDonald’s employer and business branding because it linked the company’s training culture with its signature product category.