How The Cheeseburger Was Invented By A California Teenager

The beloved hamburger has stood as a food staple for centuries, appearing in historical events such as the Civil War and the St. Louis World's Fair. Throughout its sometimes misunderstood history, the humble burger has undergone many alterations, the addition of cheese being the chief among them. Although it may seem that the concept of putting cheese on a burger has existed for just as long as the burger itself, this actually didn't happen long ago — if you believe the lore. According to the most cited story, the cheeseburger's birth takes place in California, at the hands of a young line cook. While the details vary, some food historians argue that the term "cheeseburger" came later and originated elsewhere in the United States.

According to most accounts, the cheeseburger arrived in 1924, via 16-year-old Lionel Steinberger. Steinberger was preparing orders at his father's sandwich shop, the Rite Spot in Pasadena, California, when the cheese-placing event occurred. From here, the story varies: some say Lionel accidentally burned a hamburger and covered up the mistake with a slice of cheese. Others claim that he was bored and testing new ideas with his father, or that the idea came from a passing transient who ordered a hamburger "with everything on it," which prompted Steinberger to do just that. Unfortunately, the truth is lost to time as Rite Spot has since shuttered its doors, taking any evidence along with it. Regardless, a commemorative plaque can be found at Rite Spot's former site in Pasadena, and the city also celebrates Cheeseburger Week to honor that moment in history.

Certainly, Rite Spot may have been the first to serve a cheeseburger, but it was called the Aristocratic Burger and described as "the original hamburger with cheese." Though this may accurately describe a cheeseburger, who first named it one is contested elsewhere. In Louisville, Kentucky, Kaelin's Restaurant (now 80/20 at Kaelin's) claims to be the birthplace of the cheeseburger. In short, former co-founder Carl Kaelin asked his wife, also co-founder, Margaret, to experiment with putting cheese on a burger. The combination impressed so much that he put cheeseburgers on the menu. However, Kaelin's has existed only since 1934, which precedes Rite Spot chronologically. Even if we were to credit them with the name, Los Angeles' O'Dell's beat them to it, offering cheeseburgers smothered in chili on their menus in 1928. Despite the claims and history, nobody ever trademarked the term "cheeseburger" between 1924 and 1934. That was actually given to Louis Ballast, former owner of the now-defunct Humpty Dumpty Drive-In, who filed it in Denver, Colorado, circa 1935.

What happened to that trademark is a mystery, as a search through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office returned no results. In any case, it's without question that the cheeseburger has since become a beloved classic, appearing on the favorite fast-food orders of many celebrity chefs. This includes Gordon Ramsay's love for In-N-Out's Double-Double. One unexpected cheeseburger topping that's becoming popular is peanut butter, which your burger absolutely deserves. It adds a sweet and savory depth and creamy, rich texture that's too delicious to pass up.