What name did McDonald’s use for its fast food production method introduced by the McDonald brothers?

McDonald’s called its fast food production method the Speedee Service System.

The McDonald brothers developed the system after rethinking their drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino. In 1948, they closed temporarily, reduced the menu, removed most carhop service, and reorganized food preparation around standardized tasks. The approach was designed to make hamburgers quickly and consistently.

The system’s name was also reflected in early branding through Speedee, a chef-like mascot associated with fast service. This connection explains why Speedee appears in the company’s early signs and promotional material even though the later McDonald’s identity became centered on the golden arches and Ronald McDonald.

The Speedee Service System was not a franchise brand name in the same sense as McDonald’s. It described an operating and service model that influenced the development of modern fast food. Ray Kroc later helped expand McDonald’s nationally, but the basic production concept originated with the brothers.