McDonald’s original restaurant concept 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 drive-in, serving a broad menu before the brothers redesigned the business around a smaller selection of quickly prepared foods.
The 1948 change created the foundation for the McDonald’s brand that later spread worldwide. The brothers introduced a self-service system and concentrated on hamburgers, fries, and beverages. The early barbecue name is therefore a useful reminder that the modern Golden Arches brand began as a different kind of American drive-in restaurant.