Almanac note · History and culture
San Bernardino helped turn a drive-in into a fast-food model
San Bernardino is where the McDonald brothers opened their early restaurant and later refined the Speedee Service System that shaped modern fast food.
San Bernardino has one of the clearest fast-food origin stories in the country. Dick and Mac McDonald opened McDonald’s Bar-B-Q at Fourteenth and E streets in 1940. At first, it was a typical drive-in with a larger menu and carhop service.
The part that changed the food world came later. In 1948, the brothers shut down for several months and reopened with a simpler self-service setup. The menu became smaller. The process became faster. The 15 cent hamburger became the main item. McDonald’s calls this the Speedee Service System, and it helped shape the model that fast-food restaurants would copy in many forms.
This story fits San Bernardino and the Inland Empire especially well. It came from a car-oriented region where people were moving around by road, suburbs were growing, and quick roadside food made sense. It also shows how a local business idea can become so common that people forget it started in one real place.
The original restaurant story has a few layers, so it helps to keep the dates straight: 1940 for the early McDonald’s Bar-B-Q, and 1948 for the streamlined system that made the name famous. If you go looking for the spot, look up local visitor details first.
Where to see it
The 14th and E streets area in San Bernardino, tied to the early McDonald's story.
Official sources
Official source trail
Reviewed July 1, 2026
California Porch explains the path. The official source is still the place to confirm the current rule, fee, form, map, deadline, or office decision.
Use the official page before you spend money, file paperwork, rely on a deadline, or change a property.
Connected places
Where it fits on the map
Open a place page for the county layer, nearby places, and other California entries tied to that local page.
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