What was McDonald's restaurant name before it was shortened to “McDonald's” in 1948?

Before it was shortened to “McDonald's” in 1948, the restaurant was called McDonald's Bar-B-Q.

Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. It operated as a barbecue restaurant under the McDonald's Bar-B-Q name before the brothers changed direction. In 1948, they closed the restaurant temporarily, redesigned the operation, and reopened with a smaller menu and faster service model.

The 1948 change was more than a name adjustment. The brothers moved away from a broad barbecue offering and emphasized hamburgers, fries, milkshakes, and efficient counter service. That operating concept later became the foundation for McDonald's franchising and global growth.

The name is sometimes confused with the later corporate history associated with Ray Kroc. Kroc joined the story in the 1950s, after the brothers had already established the restaurant and its streamlined service system.