McDonald's introduced its simplified self-service restaurant system in 1948.
Maurice and Richard McDonald closed their San Bernardino restaurant temporarily and redesigned the business around speed and efficiency. They reduced the menu, removed carhops, and emphasized hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes. Customers ordered at a counter rather than being served at their cars.
The change is a major turning point in McDonald's branding history because the restaurant's identity became tied to a repeatable service system, not only to a local building or menu. The brothers called the approach the Speedee Service System, reflecting its focus on rapid preparation.
The year 1948 is sometimes confused with 1940, when the brothers opened their first restaurant, or 1955, when Ray Kroc opened the first restaurant in his McDonald's System. Those dates mark different stages in the company's development.