McDonald’s Bar-B-Q was the original San Bernardino restaurant concept before the Speedee Service System. Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the drive-in restaurant in California in 1940, initially serving a broad barbecue-oriented menu.
The brothers later redesigned their operation around a smaller menu and faster production. In 1948, they closed temporarily, removed carhop service, and reopened with the system that emphasized hamburgers, fries, beverages, and standardized preparation. This change created the operating model that later attracted Ray Kroc.
The earlier name is often overlooked because the modern McDonald’s identity is associated with hamburgers, arches, and speed. The barbecue restaurant nevertheless represents the company’s pre-system stage, when it still followed the familiar Southern California drive-in format.
It is also important not to confuse the original restaurant with the later Des Plaines location. San Bernardino was the McDonald brothers’ starting point, while Des Plaines marked Kroc’s first operated restaurant.