Who founded the McDonald's restaurant business with his brother Maurice McDonald?

Richard McDonald founded the McDonald's restaurant business with his brother Maurice McDonald.

The brothers opened their first McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. They later developed the “Speedee Service System,” which standardized preparation and focused on a limited menu, fast service, and low prices. Those ideas became fundamental to McDonald's identity.

Ray Kroc did not found the original restaurant with the McDonald brothers. He became the company's national franchising agent in the 1950s and helped expand the business dramatically. That expansion is why Kroc is often associated with McDonald's history, but Richard and Maurice created the original restaurant and operating model.

Richard and Maurice also influenced the brand's early visual identity through the restaurant's architecture and Speedee mascot. Their system shaped the company before the later Golden Arches logo, Ronald McDonald campaigns, and worldwide expansion.