Saturday, June 13, 2026

Question: Who was the Denver drive-in restaurant owner who secured a U.S. trademark for the word “cheeseburger”?

Answer: Louis Ballast, owner of the Humpty Dumpty Barrel Drive-In (Colorado’s first drive-in). He registered the cheeseburger trademark on March 5, 1935, but never enforced it. Before landing on cheese, Ballast tested burgers topped with chocolate and peanut butter, but taste-testers preferred cheese.