Which two brothers founded the restaurant that became McDonald’s?

Richard and Maurice McDonald founded the restaurant that became McDonald’s.

The brothers opened a drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. They later simplified the menu and reorganized food preparation around speed, consistency, and a limited range of products. That operating concept became central to McDonald’s visual and commercial identity.

Ray Kroc did not found the original restaurant. He became the company’s franchising agent in the 1950s and later acquired control of the business, helping turn the brothers’ local operation into a global chain.

The McDonald brothers are also associated with the restaurant’s early “Speedee Service System.” Their original branding used Speedee before the company’s later emphasis on the Golden Arches, Ronald McDonald, and other national advertising symbols.