Which California city was home to the McDonald brothers' first restaurant in 1940?

San Bernardino was home to the McDonald brothers' first restaurant in 1940.

Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the restaurant on North E Street in San Bernardino, California. Its early identity differed from the later McDonald's image: it first operated as a drive-in barbecue restaurant with a broad menu.

In 1948, the brothers closed the restaurant temporarily and reopened it with a smaller menu centered on hamburgers, fries, and beverages. This operational redesign created the Speedee Service System, which became central to McDonald's later brand promise.

San Bernardino is sometimes confused with Des Plaines, Illinois. Des Plaines was the site of Ray Kroc's first McDonald's franchise restaurant, opened in 1955. San Bernardino was the birthplace of the original restaurant business created by the McDonald brothers.