when was mcdonald's founded

McDonald's was founded in 1940 by brothers Richard (Dick) and Maurice (Mac) McDonald. They opened the first McDonald's restaurant on May 15, 1940, in San Bernardino, California. Initially, it was a barbecue stand, but they later streamlined their menu to focus on hamburgers and introduced their Speedee Service System in 1948, which became the foundation of the modern fast-food restaurant system.