What was McDonald’s original 1940 business name?

McDonald’s original 1940 business name was McDonald’s Bar-B-Q. Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California, using a menu centered on barbecue items.

The brothers changed the business model in 1948. They temporarily closed the restaurant, removed most of the menu, and reopened with a streamlined self-service operation focused on hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes. This became the Speedee Service System.

The restaurant’s later identity grew from that operational change. The McDonald brothers’ surname remained in the company name, while the barbecue reference disappeared as hamburgers became the core product and the brand expanded through franchising.

The original name is often overlooked because McDonald’s global identity is now associated with burgers and the Golden Arches. It is also different from the name of the later corporation and from the Speedee Service System, which described the operating method rather than the original business name.