50 billion cheeseburgers are served annually in the U.S. Approximately 44 percent of American restaurants have a cheeseburger option on their menu,
“On a day like today, especially with a big game, we probably serve 800 Cheeseburgers,” said a waitress at Tom’s Watch Bar in Los Angeles, while serving food to World Cup fans.
Which is your favorite restaurant for cheeseburgers?
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But who is responsible for the invention of the cheeseburger phenomenon?
While often associated with American culture, the cheeseburger is a global phenomenon and can be enjoyed at almost every food related event.
Fries are among the favorite side dish for cheeseburgers.
For a total bargain of 15 cents, the original cheeseburger was found at The Rite Spot off Route 66 in Pasadena, California.
The Rite Spot was slammed on New Year’s Day in 1924. The Rose Parade had just ended and so many spectators were looking for a bite to eat.
The story goes that 16-year-old Lionel Clark Sternberger, son of Rite Spot’s owner, was frantically flipping patties to keep up with the growing crowd.
He burned one, yet due to the demand, he didn’t have time to remake it. He simply slapped a slice of cheese to cover up the burn.
Another version of the story is that a customer simply asked for the cheese to be placed on the burger. The invention was then placed on The Rite Spot’s menu titled “The Aristocratic Burger.”
The cheeseburger started off as a novel item, unique to The Rite Spot, but saw a massive surge in popularity and became a mainstream staple by the late 1940s. McDonald’s alone is estimated to serve 75 million cheeseburgers daily worldwide.
Melting cheese that oozes over the side is a valued featured of the cheeseburger.
Whether or not the cheeseburger was a cover up or actual order, Lionel Clark Sternberger was recognized as the official inventor as part of his obituary by Time Magazine in their February 1964 issue.
There is also a plaque dedicated to Sternberger, which can be found outside the Los Angeles Financial Credit Union on West Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. In 2012 the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce even created Pasadena Cheeseburger Week to celebrate Sternberger and his invention.
“Cheeseburgers are a classic and my go to! Can never go wrong with them,” said Asa Shih ’28.
Life is too short for a bad burger and from Lionel Sternberger to Ronald McDonald, cheeseburgers have been a staple in American dining for decades.
