The McDonald's restaurant design style introduced in 1953 and known for its red-and-white tiled exterior was the Red and White style.
The design was developed for McDonald's restaurants during the company's early franchising period. Its red-and-white ceramic tile exterior, sharply angled roof, and prominent arches made the buildings easy to recognize from roads and highways.
The style mattered because the restaurant itself served as a large-scale brand advertisement. Customers could identify the building at a distance, while the repeated architectural elements helped create consistency among different locations.
The Red and White style predates later McDonald's restaurant concepts that used more subdued materials and modern interiors. It should also be distinguished from the Golden Arches as a logo: the arches were part of the building design, but the full restaurant style included the roof, tiles, signs, and overall structure.