What was the name of McDonald's first restaurant opened by the McDonald brothers?

McDonald's Bar-B-Q was the name of the McDonald brothers' first restaurant.

Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. It began as a drive-in barbecue restaurant with a broad menu, rather than the highly standardized hamburger operation later associated with McDonald's.

In 1948, the brothers reorganized the business as a faster self-service restaurant and reduced the menu. That change led to the Speedee Service System, which became a foundation of the McDonald's operating model and later branding.

The original restaurant name is often overlooked because the company became famous under the shorter McDonald's name. The San Bernardino site also predates Ray Kroc's role in expanding the business nationally. Kroc later joined the company as a franchise agent and helped turn the local restaurant concept into a global chain.