What was McDonald’s first official name after Ray Kroc acquired the business system?

McDonald’s first official corporate name after Ray Kroc acquired the business system was McDonald’s System, Inc.

Ray Kroc became the McDonald brothers’ franchising agent in 1954 and opened a McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955. The company operating the expanding franchise system was known as McDonald’s System, Inc., reflecting its emphasis on a standardized restaurant method rather than only on individual locations.

In 1960, the company changed its name to McDonald’s Corporation. That name is the familiar corporate identity associated with the global chain today. The change occurred during a period of rapid expansion and increasing separation between the corporate organization and the original San Bernardino restaurant operated by the McDonald brothers.

The name is easy to overlook because many histories focus on Kroc’s 1955 restaurant or the 1960 corporate renaming. “McDonald’s System, Inc.” is the earlier legal and branding milestone, while McDonald’s Corporation is the later and better-known name.