What was the name of the restaurant opened by Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino in 1940?

The restaurant opened by Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino in 1940 was called McDonald's Bar-B-Q.

The brothers began with a barbecue restaurant offering a broad menu and drive-in service. This business came before the simplified hamburger-focused system that later defined McDonald's. In 1948, they reorganized the operation around a smaller menu, faster preparation, and self-service techniques.

The original name is sometimes confused with the later McDonald's identity because the company became famous for hamburgers rather than barbecue. The 1940 restaurant also predates Ray Kroc's involvement; Kroc joined the story in the 1950s after encountering the brothers' highly efficient operation.

The San Bernardino site is now associated with the McDonald's history museum and a reconstructed version of the early restaurant. It is an important starting point for understanding how the brand evolved from a local drive-in into a global fast-food company.