What name did the McDonald brothers use for their restaurant before shortening it to McDonald’s in 1948?

Before shortening the name in 1948, the McDonald brothers called their restaurant McDonald’s Bar-B-Q.

Maurice and Richard McDonald opened their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. It began as a drive-in barbecue restaurant, with carhops serving a broad menu. The original name reflected that barbecue-focused identity rather than the limited, fast-service format that later defined the company.

In 1948, the brothers closed the restaurant temporarily and rebuilt the business around a smaller menu, self-service, and faster production. They dropped barbecue from the name and reopened as McDonald’s. The change matched the new operating model and helped establish a simpler brand identity.

This name is sometimes confused with the later McDonald’s System, Inc., associated with Ray Kroc. Kroc joined the story in the 1950s, after the brothers had already created the restaurant and its streamlined service system.