What was McDonald's original 1955 corporate name after Ray Kroc founded the franchise company?

McDonald's original 1955 corporate name after Ray Kroc founded the franchise company was McDonald's System, Inc.

Ray Kroc established the company in 1955 to franchise and support the McDonald brothers' restaurant system. The name reflected the operating and franchising structure Kroc was building around the brothers' standardized methods, rather than describing a single restaurant location.

The company later changed its corporate name to McDonald's Corporation in 1960. That change occurred during the period when Kroc was consolidating control and expanding the brand nationally. The familiar corporation name therefore came after the original 1955 legal identity.

This history can be confusing because the restaurant business, the brothers' original operation, Kroc's franchise company, and the later public corporation are often described simply as “McDonald's.” For branding history, the corporate-name sequence matters: McDonald's System, Inc. came first, followed by McDonald's Corporation.