The brothers opened the original McDonald's restaurant in 1940 in San Bernardino, California, where they created the Speedee Service System to produce their meals, a method that became the standard for the fast food industry.
[7] In the 1940s the McDonald brothers operated a successful drive-in restaurant, but found several factors were cutting into their profits.
Some of the more expensive menu items, such as barbecue sandwiches, were rarely ordered, and they used actual dishes, which were constantly lost or broken, plus the reputation of drive-ins becoming seedy hangouts for teenagers were driving whole families away.
In 1948, the brothers fully redesigned and rebuilt their restaurant in San Bernardino to focus on a reduced menu consisting of their nine most profitable and cost-effective items: In addition to their 15-cent hamburger, the menu included a cheeseburger, soft drinks, milk, coffee, potato chips, and a slice of pie.
[15] At the closing, Kroc became annoyed that the brothers would not transfer to him the real estate and rights to the original San Bernardino location.
[18][19][20] Maurice McDonald died from heart failure[21] at his home in Palm Springs, California, on December 11, 1971, at the age of 69.
[22] Richard McDonald also died from heart failure in a nursing home in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 14, 1998, at the age of 89.