What was McDonald's original name before the restaurant was renamed McDonald's in 1948?

Before the 1948 renaming, the restaurant was called McDonald's Famous Bar-B-Q.

Maurice and Richard McDonald opened their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. It initially operated as a barbecue drive-in, offering a broad menu and carhop service. The business name reflected that barbecue-centered format rather than the limited hamburger menu associated with the later McDonald's brand.

In 1948, the brothers closed the restaurant temporarily, simplified the menu, and reopened it as a self-service hamburger restaurant. The change emphasized speed, consistency, and inexpensive food. The name was shortened to McDonald's, matching the new streamlined concept and making the brand easier to display and remember.

The original barbecue name is sometimes confused with Speedee, the character used to promote the later Speedee Service System. Speedee was a branding element, not the restaurant's original name. The San Bernardino location became an important part of McDonald's early history.