Richard and Maurice McDonald opened McDonald's in San Bernardino, California, in 1940.
The brothers began with a drive-in restaurant, then redesigned it around a faster self-service system. In 1948, they simplified the menu and emphasized hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes. This operating model became an important early example of standardized fast-food production.
Ray Kroc, a milkshake-mixer salesman, visited the restaurant in 1954 and became its franchising agent. He opened the first McDonald's System restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955, and later acquired the company from the brothers in 1961.
A common mix-up is crediting Kroc with founding the original restaurant. The McDonald brothers created the restaurant and its speed-focused system; Kroc transformed it into an international franchise network. The company's golden arches and standardized procedures later became globally recognizable symbols of fast food.