What name did McDonald’s use for its 1948 fast-service operating system?

McDonald’s called its 1948 fast-service operating system the Speedee Service System.

Richard and Maurice McDonald introduced the system after closing their San Bernardino restaurant and reorganizing its operation. They reduced the menu, standardized food preparation, used an assembly-line approach, and emphasized quick customer service.

The system became the operational foundation of the McDonald’s brand. Customers received a smaller set of popular foods more rapidly, while standardized procedures made it easier to reproduce the experience at additional restaurants.

The name is connected to Speedee, the early mascot used before Ronald McDonald. It is not the same as the later corporate Golden Arches identity, which emerged from restaurant architecture and was formalized as a logo in 1962.