Which company name did McDonald’s adopt in 1955 when Ray Kroc established the corporation?

Ray Kroc established McDonald’s System, Inc. in 1955.

Kroc had become involved with the McDonald brothers’ restaurant concept after seeing the success of their San Bernardino operation and its unusually efficient service model. In 1955, he opened a McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, and created McDonald’s System, Inc. to organize and expand the franchise business.

The company was later renamed McDonald’s Corporation in 1960. That change explains why modern references often use “McDonald’s Corporation” when discussing the same broader business, even though the 1955 corporate name was different.

The distinction matters in branding history because the 1955 name reflected Kroc’s focus on a repeatable operating system, while the later corporate name centered directly on the McDonald’s brand. The McDonald brothers’ original business and Kroc’s expanding organization were related but not identical entities.