MAIN Holidays & Observances National Cheeseburger Day 2024

Happy National Cheeseburger Day!

The cheeseburger remains the perfect marriage of beef ... and cheese.

America celebrates National Cheeseburger Day on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 with backyard BBQ get-togethers, indoor cheeseburger day parties, and freebies and deals for National Cheeseburger Day (see below).

Just up ahead, also check out more ways to take advantage of National Cheeseburger Day 2024, with ideas for celebrating with friends and family plus lots of cheeseburger fun facts and related resources around the web:

2024 National Cheeseburgers deals & freebies

Join the fun this year when national burger chains offer free or discounted cheeseburgers in honor of the day.

Although it's too early to tell what they have planned in 2024, last year McDonald's offered customers who used the company's app a double cheeseburger for just 50 cents.

But McDonald's wasn't the only one. Wendy's quickly followed up with a junior bacon cheeseburger for 1 penny as long as you bought something else from the menu (want fries with that?)

Not be outdone, Burger King also offered customers who joined their Royal Perks program a free cheeseburger

Regional chains like Carl's Jr. also had special deals on the big day joined by local restaurants and diners coast-to-coast.

Meanwhile, keep it here for complete details on this year's celebration of National Cheeseburger Day 2024.

also see in Holidays -> 2024 National Hot Dog Day

How else to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day

Make National Cheeseburger Day a last summer fling for friends and family at the backyard grill by inviting them all over for a tasty end of season celebration. Make it a pot luck by asking guests to bring the cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and their other favorite toppings.

If you own a business, or manage a staff of employees, invite everyone out to lunch for a cheeseburger and fries at a local diner or restaurant to celebrate the day. Talk about a morale booster...

Or join the fun online by posting a photo of your own favorite cheeseburger creation (don't forget to include the recipe), with the tag #NationalCheeseBurgerDay.

A history of cheeseburgers - celebrating 100 years

While America introduced the world's first hamburger in St. Louis (at the 1900 World's Fair) cheeseburgers have a fascinating history that begins with a teenager in California, working in his father's sandwich shop in 1924.

Accidentally (or by design) the 16-year old Lionel C. Sternberger dropped a piece of cheese on a hamburger, deemed it mouthwatering and called the tasty innovation a "cheese hamburger"

And although Lionel usually gets the credit, it was Charles Kaelin's restaurant in Louisville KY that officially first listed "cheeseburger" on their menu in 1934.

Only a year later, Colorado joined the fracas when Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver claimed ownership of the beloved cheeseburger (and had the trademark to prove it).

Whoever officially invented it, the cheeseburger was an invention whose time had come and today remains an all-American classic.

How to make the perfect cheeseburger

Sliced cheese or shredded? Where does the cheese go? How long should it take to melt?

Of course, there's no perfect way to make YOUR perfect cheeseburger. Yet that doesn't stop the experts from having a hot debate about the subject.

Traditional purists stick with the slapping a slice of American cheese right on top of the burger while it's still cooking, then cover and let the cheese melt for two minutes.

Then there are others who claim that two minutes is way too long resulting in a thin goo running down the sides of your burger. The alternative? Place the cheese on the hot burger and cover it with a bun to let it melt.

However, this doesn't account for harder cheeses like cheddar and Swiss, so proceed with caution. The bun-on-cheese technique also necessitates putting the lettuce, tomato and other toppings on the BOTTOM side of the bun, which understandably sends purists into a tailspin.

Feeling extra rebellious? Try incorporating the cheese INTO the burger before you cook it for a surprise of cheesy goodness in every bite.

Whatever you decide, keep clear of the microwave which can turn your ideal, medium cheeseburger into a dry, well-done mess in no time.


Cheeseburger fun facts

• Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar just outside Detroit grills up a behemoth burger to order. It literally weighs a ton to make it the world's biggest commercial cheeseburger.

Topped with 300 pounds of cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and onions, the record-breaking burger is listed on their menu for mere $20,000. (No one has yet to order it, but you can be the first. Just give them a few days notice.)

• According to a Technomic Burger Trend Report, 70 percent of consumers prefer American cheese on their burger compared to 59 percent who prefer cheddar. Meanwhile, 40 percent of consumers would order a burger with Swiss cheese, followed by 39 percent who prefer mozzarella.

• The popular Jimmy Buffett song “Cheeseburger in Paradise” was inspired by a boat trip the songwriter embarked on that was stocked only with canned food and peanut butter. Out on the ocean, Buffett was soon craving a soul-satisfying cheeseburger. When the boat finally docked on the island of Tortola, Buffett was able to order the tantalizing burger of his dreams.

More about National Cheeseburger Day around the Web:

National Cheeseburger Day (September 18) - Good ideas for celebrating the day along with fun facts, recipes and a cheeseburger song list.

National Cheeseburger Day - Check out the video and scroll down for more on the big day.

also see -> National Cheesecake Day | National Pretzel Day

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