Mark Wahlberg's Wahlburgers Are Topped With Government Cheese – But What Is That, Exactly?

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The Boston-born Wahlberg boys are a force of nature in the arts world, with Donnie covering the music, Mark covering the movies, and Paul covering the food. Their venture together, a burger chain called Wahlburgers, has restaurants scattered across the globe and rakes in upward of $120 million annually. And yet, they still do what they can to stay true to their humble roots. That's why the signature Our Burger at Wahlburgers is made with government cheese.

If you're unfamiliar, the U.S. government stores massive amounts of cheese in underground limestone mines affectionately called cheese caves. It began handing the cheese out to low income families on welfare during the 1980s. Why did the government have a ridiculous amount of cheese stockpiled, you ask? That has to do with a farm support program, initiated around the time of the New Deal, which works to stabilize prices for farmers by purchasing dairy surplus. Since cheese holds better than milk, it was transformed into salty, slightly rubbery, bright orange bricks of cheese.

On CTStyle Live (via Facebook), Paul said "When we were kids, if you weren't well-heeled, shall we say, you would get support. [The food] would come in boxes and it would be peanut butter and cheese and milk." Describing the cheese, he reminisced about the 3-pound block it was administered in and joked about the impossibility of slicing it in a thin, uniform fashion. Still, he says "[Using it is] a simple reminder for me everyday of where we came from."

The Our Burger at Wahlburgers is a pretty straightforward burger with all the signature toppings (plus Wahl Sauce — Paul Wahlburg says he puts the stuff on everything). However, the cheese is a standout for folks who grew up on it. It's designed to be super-melty, making the burger almost grilled cheese-esque. The flavor is mild, salty, and slightly processed — but in a good way, like Cheetos. "There's nothing better than government cheese," one person wrote on a Facebook post featuring a sandwich from Wahlburgers. "I didn't think government cheese was still around???" another asked.

It's unclear how Wahlburgers is serving government cheese since it's not available for purchase. When pressed about the issue on X, the restaurant account simply said, "We have our ways" (per ChangeWire). If we had to guess, the restaurant chain is using something like Land-O-Lakes American Extra Melt Cheese, which can be purchased by the 5-pound block. While former fans agree it's not quite the same, many agree it's the closest you can get.