What was McDonald’s original restaurant name before the company adopted the shortened McDonald’s name?

McDonald’s original restaurant name was McDonald’s Bar-B-Q.

Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald brothers’ restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. It was a barbecue restaurant with a broad menu, quite different from the streamlined operation that later became famous. The name “McDonald’s Bar-B-Q” reflected that original barbecue-focused format.

In 1948, the brothers closed the restaurant temporarily and reopened it with a simplified menu centered on hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries, soft drinks, and milkshakes. This change introduced the Speedee Service System and laid the operational foundation for the modern McDonald’s brand.

The restaurant’s original name is often overlooked because the later company became associated with the shorter McDonald’s name and the Golden Arches. The San Bernardino location was the brothers’ starting point, while Ray Kroc’s later involvement drove nationwide franchising and expansion.