What was the name of McDonald's first restaurant opened by Richard and Maurice McDonald?

Richard and Maurice McDonald first opened a restaurant called McDonald's Bar-B-Q.

The brothers opened the restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. It began as a drive-in barbecue restaurant with a broad menu and carhop service, reflecting the dominant Southern California restaurant model of the period.

In 1948, the brothers closed the restaurant temporarily and reopened it with a smaller menu and a faster preparation system centered on hamburgers, fries, and beverages. This redesign became the foundation of the Speedee Service System and the business model later expanded by Ray Kroc.

The restaurant is often remembered as if it began immediately with the modern McDonald's format. In fact, the barbecue concept came first, and the simplified self-service operation followed. The original name therefore belongs to the company's pre-Golden-Arches branding history.