The Cheeseburger Origin Story | Visit Pasadena (2024)

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The Cheeseburger Origin Story | Visit Pasadena? ›

The cheeseburger's genesis can be traced back to 1924 in Pasadena, California. It was the first time "The Original Hamburger with Cheese" appeared on a menu. The legend takes us to Colorado Boulevard (then Route 66), where The Rite Spot once stood and the cheeseburger was born. It cost a whopping $0.15.

Why, it was none other than Lionel Clark Sternberger who first introduced the cheeseburger to the masses in 1924, at his dad's restaurant along Pasadena's Route 66.

Inventor Legends

Many food historians credit 16-year-old Lionel Sternberger, who in 1924 decided to slap a slice of American cheese (what else?) onto a cooking hamburger at his father's Pasadena, California, sandwich shop, the Rite Spot. He liked it, and so did his dad, and thus the cheeseburger was born.

DENVER (KDVR) — If you find yourself craving a cheeseburger on National Cheeseburger Day, you might want to thank the denizens of Denver's past. That's because the mouthwatering American staple was actually invented in the Mile High City. Or at least that's the claim.

Margot Savors Every Bite Of The Cheeseburger

She and Julian become mere victims of the rich, who only take their services for granted and never give anything in return. By asking for The Menu cheeseburger, Margot rekindles herself with the give-and-take aspect of every service and helps Julian achieve the same.

The first sandwich to be called a cheeseburger was created in Louisville, Kentucky. Charles Kaelin invented the cheeseburger in 1934 to bring extra flavor to his hamburger offering. But he didn't trademark it.

Pasadena city officials shared that the cheeseburger's origins can be traced back to 1924, when teenager Lionel Sternberger put cheese on a burger while working at his dad's restaurant, The Rite Spot.

The hamburger remains as one of the cheapest forms of beef in America. Adding cheese to hamburgers became popular in 1920. There are several competing claims as to who created the first cheeseburger. Lionel Sternberger is reputed to have introduced the cheeseburger in 1924 at the age of 16.

Several chefs claim to have been the first to add a slice of cheese to a hamburger. Lionel Sternberger of Rite Spot in Pasadena, California, takes credit for the cheeseburger, claiming that he invented it between 1924 and 1926.

Did Denver create the cheeseburger? ›

So, which city actually invented the cheeseburger? Louis Ballast of Denver, Colo., was awarded the “cheeseburger” trademark in 1935. Downtown Denver has a stone marker at the site of the Humpty Dumpty Barrel, Colorado's first drive-in, that claims Ballast created the beef-and-cheese sensation there in 1935.

First, the Library of Congress agrees it was Louis Lassen who invented the burger when he put scraps of ground between slices of bread for fast, easy eating. And second, Lassen's burgers are still served at Louis Lunch, a small hamburger shack in New Haven where Jeff Lassen is the fourth generation proprietor.

The steamed cheeseburger is believed to have been invented at a restaurant called Jack's Lunch in Middletown, Connecticut, in either the 1920s or 1930s. Jack's Lunch was located at 434 Main Street and operated by Jack Fitzgerald for 44 years.

The cheeseburger's story begins with a teenager named Lionel Sternberger, who worked at his father's sandwich shop, The Rite Spot, in Pasadena, California, USA. In 1924, young Lionel had a culinary revelation and decided to place a slice of American cheese atop a hamburger patty.

Just as Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) escapes the island and we think we've nailed the ending, we're left to theorize about that cheeseburger. The burger is the antithesis to fine dining that Margot asks Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) to make for her. Doing so ultimately allows her to be released.

Owned by the Hindoyan family since 1969, the restaurant was a popular dining spot that catered everything from City Hall events to Democratic Party fundraisers, health department get-togethers and jury trial lunches.

Louis Lassen

A customer ordered a quick hot meal and Louis was out of steaks. Taking ground beef trimmings, Louis made a patty and grilled it, putting it between two slices of toast.

Lionel Sternberger is reputed to have introduced the cheeseburger in 1924 at the age of 16.