What name did McDonald’s use for its original 1948 self-service restaurant concept?

McDonald’s called its original 1948 self-service restaurant concept the Speedee Service System.

Maurice and Richard McDonald redesigned their San Bernardino, California, drive-in restaurant in 1948. They reduced the menu, standardized preparation, used a limited service model, and emphasized speed and consistency. The system helped establish the operational style later associated with modern fast food.

The name connected the service method with Speedee, an early McDonald’s mascot represented as a smiling chef. Speedee appeared in the company’s early branding before Ronald McDonald and before the Golden Arches became the dominant visual symbol.

The Speedee Service System is not the same thing as the later franchising strategy developed during McDonald’s expansion. It primarily described the restaurant’s production and service method. Ray Kroc later helped spread and standardize the McDonald’s model across a much larger national network.