Yes, The Very First McDonald's Was A Barbecue Joint

McDonald's has a long and complicated history. From the complex timeline of individual McDonald's items like the Happy Meal to the differences between American and international locations, including the sale of alcohol, there is a lot more to McDonald's than simple burgers and fries. The further you dive, the deeper the rabbit hole goes and the more unusual history facts pop up.

If you go all the way back to the very beginning, you'd find that McDonald's was nothing like the international chain giant it is today. Quite literally too, as the original McDonald's was a barbecue restaurant that actually sold hot dogs. It took 8 years for McDonald's to make the switch to burgers instead.

Not only was the menu entirely different, but the service methods at the original McDonald's were nothing like the fast food drive-thru that we know today. Instead, McDonald's used to have car-hops who would bring food directly to customers' cars, much like the system used at Sonic and other drive-in chains. The transition from the original McDonald's to the massive chain that took over the world was not an immediate process, but rather a series of transformative steps.

The original McDonald's was opened in San Bernardino, California in 1940 by the McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice. At the time, it was called "McDonald's Famous Barbecue" with a menu to match. It wasn't until 1948 that the brothers decided to convert their successful barbecue joint into a burger stand.

The reason behind this change was simple: the brothers had noticed that most of their profits came from selling hamburgers, so they changed their strategy. The service system also changed, resulting in the self-service ordering system we are familiar with today. Cooking methods were also adjusted, resulting in the chain making food ahead of time and keeping it warm rather than making it in order to get meals out quicker.

In 1955, Ray Kroc joined forces with the brothers to start franchising, and the rest is history. More locations were opened and more menu items were invented, like the Filet-o-Fish in 1965, the Big Mac in 1968, and the Egg McMuffin in 1975. Today, McDonald's is still constantly ever-evolving, made evident by the company's announcement to resurrect the McRib.