Denver: The Birthplace of the Cheeseburger? Here's What We Found

Recently, I was at a local business retreat playing a Colorado trivia game. The question came up, “what city in Colorado invented the cheeseburger.” The answer was Denver. Needless to say, I had to investigate if this was true. This is what I found.

Old Humpty Dumpty Barrel RestaurantPhoto byPublic Domain / Edit by Colorado Martini

Monday, September 18, 2024, is National Cheeseburger Day. How will you celebrate? Let us know in the comments.

I found Denver does claim to have invented the American favorite the cheeseburger. According to the National Day Calendar, There are many theories and claims about the beginning of the cheeseburger. Here are just a few:

• They suggest that Lionel Sternberger invented the cheeseburger in 1926. He claimed to have invented the cheeseburger while working in his father’s sandwich shop, The Rite Spot in Pasadena, California. He was cooking a hamburger on the grill when he decided to experiment. He dropped a slice of American cheese onto a meat patty.
• O'Dell's Restaurant claimed they placed the cheeseburger on their menu in 1928.
• Kaelin's Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky claims they invented the cheeseburger in 1934.
• Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado claims that Louis Ballast trademarked the word "cheeseburger" in 1935.
• Gus Belt, the founder of Steak n' Shake also claims they trademarked the word “cheeseburger” sometime in the 1930s.

Who do you think is the inventor of the cheeseburger? Let us know in the comments.

The Rite Spot restaurantPhoto byPublic Domain

Does a Plaque Make it So?

In front of a Denver bank at 2776 N. Speer Blvd (corner of Speer Boulevard and Alcott Street), you can find a plaque that commemorates Humpty Dumpty Barrel as the inventor. The craved granite stone was placed there by a local Dairy association in 1987placed there by a local Dairy association in 1987. It indicates that the Humpty Dumpty Barrel restaurant, "Colorado's first drive-in," once stood there. The owner, Louis E. Ballast created the cheeseburger on that site in 1935. "The Cheeseburger trademark was registered by Mr. Ballast on March 5, 1935."

The Trademark

Searching for the U.S. Trademark page, I was able to find many restaurants, clothing companies, food companies, and even a band that trademarked a name or logo with the word "cheeseburger." But I could not find anyone who has/had the "wordmark" "cheeseburger."

The only trademark that even comes close, was an online retail store of novelty and promotional merchandise. Their logo is the word "CHEESEBURGER."

I also did a thorough search by owner name. There was nothing under "Louis Ballast," "Gus Belt," and "Gustav Belt." But if I search by "Steak n' Shake" almost 200 results come back. Everything from phrases to logos. None of them are "cheeseburger."

The Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) records the registration of all live, dead, and abandoned trademarks since 1984. I could never find these old trademarks anywhere.

When you cook your hamburgers, do you press down on the patty while cooking? Or do you feel this pushes out all the great juices? Let us know in the comments.

My favorite SNL about a cheeseburger:

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References

• National Day Calendar
• Roadside America
• Westword
• Wikipedia
• Denver.org
• The U.S. Trademark Office
• The U.S. Trademark Office Search