Cheeburger Cheeburger is a 1950s-style
fast casual
A fast casual restaurant, found primarily in the United States and Canada, does not offer full table service, but advertises higher quality food than fast food restaurants, with fewer frozen or processed ingredients. It is an intermediate conc ...
restaurant chain specializing in cheeseburgers, french fries, onion rings, and milkshakes. The chain is headquartered in
Fort Myers, Florida. As of 2023, Cheeburger Cheeburger has three locations across the United States and one location in Saudi Arabia.
History
Bruce Zicari opened the first Cheeburger Cheeburger in
Sanibel, Florida, in 1986. The restaurant was named after
John Belushi's pronunciation of
cheeseburger
A cheeseburger is a hamburger topped with cheese. Traditionally, the slice of cheese is placed on top of the meat patty. The cheese is usually added to the cooking hamburger patty shortly before serving, which allows the cheese to melt. Chees ...
as "cheeburger" on a ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' sketch at the fictitious
Olympia Café.
The first international location opened in Kuwait but has since closed.
In November 2017, Cheeburger Cheeburger was acquired by Premier Restaurant Group.
In 2022, the original Cheeburger Cheeburger restaurant located on Sanibel Island was severely damaged by
Hurricane Ian.
Several locations have closed in recent years. The chain has one location each at airports in
Orlando, Florida and
Richmond, Virginia. The original Sanibel Island location and the
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...
location are the only free-standing restaurants still in business.
Legal matters
When Cheeburger Cheeburger opened a restaurant in
Glenview, Illinois
Glenview is an incorporated village located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, approximately 15 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop. Per the 2020 census, the population was 48,705. The current Village President is Michael Jenny.
Geography ...
, they were sued by
Billy Goat Tavern
The Billy Goat Tavern is a chain of taverns located in Chicago, Illinois. Its restaurants are based on the original Billy Goat Tavern founded in 1934 by Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant. It achieved fame primarily through newspaper columns by ...
, which had served as the inspiration for the original
Olympia Cafe ''Saturday Night Live'' parody. An out-of-court settlement was reached wherein the restaurant changed the name of the Glenview location to simply Cheeburger and agreed not to open another restaurant within 125 miles (200 km) of downtown Chicago.
See also
*
List of hamburger restaurants
This is a list of notable hamburger restaurants. A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of one or more cooked patties of ground meat (usually beef) usually placed inside a sliced hamburger bun. Hamburgers are often served with lettuce, bacon, tom ...
References
External links
Official website
{{Fast-food chains of the United States
1986 establishments in Florida
Fast casual restaurants
Fast-food chains of the United States
Hamburger restaurants
Restaurant chains in the United States
Restaurants established in 1986
Restaurants in Florida
Sanibel, Florida
Companies based in Lee County, Florida