Which fast-food chain acquired the rights to use the name “McDonald’s” from the McDonald brothers in 1961?

Ray Kroc’s McDonald’s Corporation acquired the rights to use the McDonald’s name from the McDonald brothers in 1961.

Ray Kroc had joined the business as a franchise agent and expanded the brothers’ restaurant system across the United States. In 1961, he purchased the company and its rights from Richard and Maurice McDonald, giving his corporation control of the brand.

This transaction helped separate the original San Bernardino restaurant from the rapidly expanding organization that became the modern McDonald’s corporation. The brothers retained their restaurant briefly under the name Big M, but Kroc’s company controlled the McDonald’s brand.

The answer is not Burger King or another rival chain. The key historical distinction is between the McDonald brothers’ original operation and Kroc’s later corporate expansion.