Site of the original cheeseburger
While cooking up a plain burger one day, 16-year-old Lionel Sternberger spontaneously decided to do something no one had ever done before: he added a slice of cheese on top, because, well, it seemed like a good idea. The year was approximately 1924 and young Lionel had unwittingly just invented what would become one of America’s most beloved and classic dishes: the cheeseburger.
The story goes that, at the time, Lionel was working at his family’s roadside fruit, tobacco, and hamburger stand, which later became their restaurant, Rite Spot. Rite Spot opened in the late 1920s or early 1930s and featured “The Aristocratic Burger: The Original Hamburger with Cheese” for a cool 15 cents. An old photograph shows the setup as simply a long outdoor countertop with an awning and no walls – California roadside dining on what was then part of historic Route 66.
Info
Address 1500 Colorado Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90041, +1.323.257.7375, www.cindyseaglerock.com, info@cindyseaglerock.com | Getting there Free on-site lot | Hours Tue–Sun 7am–10pm, closed Mon| Tip Justin Timberlake’s music video “Can’t Stop the Feeling” was shot at Cindy’s. In fact, the diner’s signage is the opening shot. Sit in the same booth as Timberlake did – it’s the first one to the right of the entrance.
Today, the location is occupied by Cindy’s Diner. Ownership of Cindy’s has changed hands several times since the eatery opened in 1948. In 2014, new proprietors and trained chefs Paul Rosenbluh and Monique King took over and respectfully updated the kitchen, but left the wonderful electric-orange Naugahyde booths and counter seats untouched. Starburst wallpaper adorns the walls. It’s circa 2010, but that’s okay, because it feels so midcentury appropriate. The Googie signage is refreshingly nonflamboyant, and was restored through a Kickstarter campaign. Patrons can easily transport themselves back to the early 1960s while savoring chicken-fried mushrooms and washing them down with a root-beer float. It’s high-end diner food with a Southern spin. Everything is made fresh on the premises; the freezer is barely used.
And yes, there is still a cheeseburger on the menu, but in a sign of the changing times, today Cindy’s specialty is their veggie burger – the menu features a different one every week.
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