National Cheeseburger Day deals at McDonald's, Burger King, more - USA Today
If you prefer your hamburger topped with cheese, this Friday is a day to celebrate a food favorite: National Cheeseburger Day.
Cheeseburgers are one of the most beloved foods in the U.S., with a popularity ranking of 84% (meaning 84% of those surveyed have a positive opinion of cheeseburgers), behind only grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries (85% popularity ratings) and tied with hamburgers (84%) as the most popular American dish in YouGov's regularly updated rankings.
How many cheeseburgers do we eat when dining out? Americans consumed, on average, 20 cheeseburgers from foodservice establishments over the 12-month period ending July 2026, or about 6.9 billion cheeseburgers, according to research firm Circana CREST tracking data. Men eat more cheeseburgers (an average of 24 per month) than women (17), according to the data.
The hamburger came first, rising in prominence at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, according to History.com. After that, there's some dispute about where the cheeseburger emerged, with Pasadena, California, having a claim from 1924, while a Louisville, Kentucky, restaurant stakes its own claim from 1934.
Of course, you can grill your own cheeseburger, but if you prefer to have it served to you, here's some deals celebrating National Cheeseburger Day.
Members of the MyMcDonald's Rewards loyalty program can get a free double cheeseburger on Friday, Sept. 18, with a minimum purchase of $1. Get the reward in the McDonald's app.
Also available at McDonald's is the new SpongeBob x One Piece McDonald's Happy Meal, which has toys with "SpongeBob SquarePants" characters dressed as "One Piece" characters.
Wendy's has a special for members of the Wendy’s Rewards loyalty program on Friday, Sept. 18 – with any purchase, you can add on a Dave’s Single Cheeseburger for $1.99. Find the offer in the Wendy's app or on the website. The one-time use offer is good for a limited time at participating U.S. Wendy's locations.
The two fast-food chains each have National Cheeseburger Day deals. At Carl’s Jr. restaurants on Thursday, Sept. 17, and Friday, Sept. 18, members of the Carl's Jr. Rewards loyalty program can get any burger for half price with the purchase of any Hand-Scooped Ice-Cream Shake. Get the deal in the Carl's Jr. app.
At Hardee's on Friday, Sept. 18, members of the My Rewards loyalty program can buy one Famous Star cheeseburger and get one free. My Rewards members can unlock the offer in the Hardee’s app on 9/18.
The delivery service has several deals for National Cheeseburger Day on Friday, Sept. 18. There's no delivery and service fees on restaurant orders of $50 or more. Here are some deals from specific brands:
Through Friday, Sept. 18, the burger chain has a buy one, get one free burger of equal or lesser value. You can get the deal on the Five Guys website or Five Guys app. Just put two burgers in your cart for pickup or first-party delivery; enter the code BOGOBURGER at checkout. (Offer not good for in-store purchases; one code per transaction and one redemption per Five Guys online account.)
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
