What name did McDonald’s use for its fast-service operating method introduced in 1948?

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

Richard and Maurice McDonald introduced the system when they reorganized their San Bernardino restaurant in 1948. They reduced the menu, standardized preparation, and arranged the kitchen so that food could be produced quickly and consistently. The model drew inspiration from assembly-line production and replaced much of the slower drive-in service common at the time.

Speedee was also the name of an early McDonald’s mascot, a small chef figure used in the company’s branding before Ronald McDonald became the best-known character. That connection explains why the term appears in both operational history and visual branding history.

The Speedee Service System was not the same thing as the Golden Arches. The arches identified the restaurant visually, while the Speedee system described how the restaurant prepared and served food. The system’s standardization later made McDonald’s franchising much easier to reproduce across locations.