What name did McDonald's restaurants use before shortening it to McDonald's in 1948?

McDonald's restaurants used the name McDonald's Bar-B-Q before shortening it to McDonald's in 1948.

Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. It was originally a barbecue restaurant with a broad menu and table service. The name McDonald's Bar-B-Q reflected that original business model.

In 1948, the brothers closed the restaurant temporarily, redesigned the operation, and reopened it around a much smaller menu and faster counter service. This new approach became the Speedee Service System and centered on hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes.

The shortened name matched the simplified concept. It is easy to confuse this history with Ray Kroc's later role: Kroc joined the business in the 1950s and expanded the franchise, but the McDonald brothers had already created the restaurant and adopted the shorter name.