What type of restaurant did McDonald's abandon when it introduced its limited menu and Speedee Service System in 1948?

McDonald's abandoned its drive-in barbecue restaurant model when it introduced the limited menu and Speedee Service System in 1948.

Richard and Maurice McDonald originally operated a drive-in restaurant where carhops delivered a broad selection of barbecue food to customers' vehicles. The format was common in postwar Southern California, but the brothers concluded that a smaller menu and faster production process could serve more customers efficiently.

They closed the restaurant temporarily, removed most of the barbecue offerings, and reorganized the kitchen around standardized preparation. Hamburgers, french fries, milkshakes, and other quick-service items became central to the new identity. Customers increasingly collected food directly rather than relying on carhop service.

This transition was a branding change as well as an operational one. The restaurant moved from a general drive-in barbecue identity to a recognizable hamburger-focused system. Later McDonald's restaurants preserved the speed and menu discipline even as the company added indoor seating, drive-through lanes, and international products.