Rite Spot Restaurant (Photo – Herman Schultheis-LAPL Photo Collection).
Legend has it that Pasadena is the first place where a cheeseburger was served to customers.
By Rena Kurlander
The restaurant where the first served cheeseburger took place was called “Rite Spot” and was located in Pasadena (in today’s geography it is considered Eagle Rock). The 16-year-old owner’s son, Lionel Sternberger, slapped some cheese on a still-cooking burger patty in 1924, and presented his “cheese hamburger” to the world.
He just did not call his creation a ‘cheeseburger’ and consequently that gave permission to a lot of places in the country to lay claim to the “cheese on a burger” ownership.
Pasadena Cheeseburger Week
Cheeseburger Week (Photo – pasadenarestaurantweek.com).
Starting on Sunday, May 6th, and continuing all week until Friday, May 11th, you can taste all kinds of cheeseburgers and delicacies at the Pasadena Restaurant Week (click here for details).
Date/Time 05/06/2018 - 05/11/2018 9:00 am - 11:15 pm Location All over town
My mother was a carhop at the Rite Spot, in the forties, when it became a drive-in.
I have a great picture of the crew.
Hi Martha,
Can you send us a copy of that photo? We would love to use it and credit you for it.
Thank you.
Hi.
Actually, the original Rite Spot was at 1500 West Colorado, at the intersection of Colorado and Avenue 64, in Pasadena (and still in Pasadena). Thanks for promoting our local restaurants. Some if the best in So. Cal.