Which brothers founded McDonald's in San Bernardino in 1940?

Richard and Maurice McDonald founded the McDonald’s restaurant business in San Bernardino in 1940. The brothers, commonly called Dick and Mac, opened their original restaurant on May 15, 1940, at North E Street and West 14th Street.

Their first operation was a drive-in barbecue restaurant, but the brothers later recognized that hamburgers generated much of their profit. In 1948, they rebuilt the business around a simplified menu, counter service, disposable packaging, speed, and high volume. This approach became the Speedee Service System and helped establish the modern fast-food model.

Ray Kroc did not found the original San Bernardino restaurant. He was a milkshake-mixer salesman who visited the brothers in 1954, became their franchise agent, and later expanded the chain dramatically. In 1961, Kroc bought the brothers’ business rights for $2.7 million.

The brothers therefore founded the original restaurant and created its efficient operating system, while Kroc is often credited with turning McDonald’s into a global corporation. That distinction explains why both names appear in accounts of the company’s origins.