Who Invented the Cheeseburger?

The cheeseburger is a staple on fast food menus and many dinners. It’s a delicious and simple treat, and you can find it throughout the world. Yet, what is the history behind this famous dish?

There are a number of different claims to where the cheeseburger originated from. However, most historians believe that Lionel C. Steinberger is the inventor of the beloved cheeseburger.

Lionel Steinberger was born February 21, 1907 and he died on January 30, 1964. As the story goes, Lionel was working at his father’s restaurant in the early twenties (some list the date as 1924, and others list the date as 1926). Lionel was cooking a hamburger.

While he was cooking the hamburger, he decided that a piece of cheese would improve the burger. He tossed a slice of cheese onto the hamburger, and the cheeseburger was born.

Although some stories state that the type of cheese was unknown, other stories site the type of cheese as American. Originally, the concoction was called a cheese hamburger. According to the story, this took place in Pasadena, California.

Other Possible Inventors

However, there are other claims for the invention of the cheeseburger. Kaelin’s Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky also states that they first invented the cheeseburger in 1934. Louis Ballast of Humpty-Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado also claims that she invented this particular variation of the hamburger.

The Traditional Cheeseburger

Traditionally, a cheeseburger consists of a hamburger bun, a hamburger pattie, and melted cheese. It typically has between six hundred and over a thousand calories. The type of cheese that you melt is usually up to the individual who is ordering (or cooking) the burger.

However, cheeseburgers may also differ from regions of the world. For example:

• In Wisconsin, the burgers are cooked with a buttered bun. A pat of butter is also served on top of the burger as well, as one of the ingredients.
• In North Carolina and South Carolina, the traditional burgers are served “with everything.”  This means that your cheeseburger comes with cheese, chili, onions, mustard, and coleslaw.
• If you travel to Hawaii, your cheeseburger might come with teriyaki sauce on top of it, as well as a piece of pineapple.
• A California cheeseburger would come with lettuce, tomato, and onion.
• In the western United States, it is not unusual to see the cheeseburger come with guacamole and bacon.

Some of the other toppings that you might find on top of a cheeseburger include, but are not limited to, the following: scrambled eggs, fried eggs, feta cheese, salsa, peppers, anchovies, slices of ham, French fries, onion rings, potato chips, or tartar sauce.

Fast Food Restaurants and Cheeseburgers

When fast food restaurants became popular, they also helped popularize the creation. A number of the most famous sandwiches at popular fast food joints are variations of the cheeseburger. For example, the Big Mac at McDonalds is a variation of the cheeseburger. It’s two beef patties, with “Mac” sauce, iceberg lettuce, American cheese, pickles, and onions served on a three-part sesame seed bun.

McDonalds also serves the Quarter Pounder which is a variation of a cheeseburger. It’s a single beef patty with two slices of cheese. One slice is on the bottom bun, and one slice is on the top bun.

A popular southern fast food restaurant, Hardee’s, has its own version of the cheeseburger. It’s called a Monster Thickburger. It’s a burger made with double beef patties, bacon, cheese, and mayonnaise.

Another popular American fast food chain, White Castle, introduced its own version of the cheeseburger called the Slyder. The beef patty is extremely thin, and is not flipped throughout the process. Rather, it is steam grilled, and then cheese is melted on top.

Thus, the answer to who invented the cheeseburger is a bit of a mystery—however, we’ve been enjoying the invention ever since!