The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce will be promoting Cheeseburger Week in Pasadena from January 12 to January 17, 2014.

We want you to be one of our participating restaurants as we celebrate Lionel Sternberger’s invention of the Cheeseburger in 1924 at the Rite Spot in west Pasadena.

For Pasadena Chamber members, there is no cost to participate. This an entirely FREE opportunity to promote your restaurant through our online, postcard and publicity campaign. (Non-Pasadena Chamber members can take part for $100 that will be used to support the marketing and promotions budget for Cheeseburger Week.)

There is no requirement that you discount, add special menu items, change your menu or do separate promotions or advertising to support Pasadena Cheeseburger Week.

All you need to do is have a cheeseburger (or cheeseburger-related) item on your menu.

If you don't "do cheeseburgers" you can still take part. We are hoping to include items that may be considered alternatives to cheeseburgers. (Last year a sushi restaurant took part. And isn't a taco or burrito really just another way to serve a cheeseburger... if you look at it that way.)

We are hoping to include as many restaurants as possible in this FREE opportunity to promote Pasadena as a dining destination. Last year more than three dozen restaurants took part.

During Pasadena Cheeseburger Week we celebrate Pasadena as the recognized birthplace of the Cheeseburger at Sternberger's Rite Spot (which was located at 1500 West Colorado). This is done in collaboration with, and as part of, California Restaurant Month.

Here is what the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce will do:

The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce will organize and promote Cheeseburger Week in Pasadena through our Pasadena Restaurant Week website, with an energetic public relations and postcard campaign. This is a low budget campaign that has had phenomenal results. Cheeseburger Week has received coverage by CNN and the KTLA Morning News as well as the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly and other local and regional media. Stories about the invention of the cheeseburger in Pasadena also appeared in the Daily Mirror in London, the Mumbai Mirror in India and in media in Hong Kong and Australia.

Promotions will include postcards, social media awareness campaigns, press releases, the Pasadena Restaurant Week website (www.pasadenarestaurantweek.com) and more. We are also part of California Restaurant Month and will benefit from their promotional campaign, as well. We also promote the event and participants through our exclusive email blast to 1850 people interested in dining and entertainment in Pasadena.

The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce will organize and host the Cheeseburger Challenge where voters can go online and choose their favorites from among a broad range of categories. (More on that below... ) Last year, more than 1000 votes were tallied in the week-long voting.

Cheeseburger Challenge

Two years ago, we hosted the first Pasadena Cheeseburger Challenge. This is an online preference poll where we asked patrons to vote for their favorites in several categories. You can enter only one menu item in each category and you can only enter in three categories.

Last year we asked the following:

  • Who serves your favorite lunch counter burger?
  • Who serves your favorite traditional cheeseburger?
  • Who serves your favorite sliders?
  • Who serves your favorite gourmet burger?
  • Who serves your favorite white tablecloth burger?
  • Who serves your favorite alternative burger?
  • Who serves your favorite turkey burger?
  • Who serves your favorite ethnic burger?
  • Who serves your favorite bar burger?
  • Who serves your favorite dessert after a burger?
  • Who serves your favorite cocktail with (or before) a burger?
  • Who serves your favorite alternative meat burger?
  • Who serves your favorite veggie burger?

Every participant is entered in the "Who serves your favorite cheeseburger?" category.

We are also happy to consider other categories. Please feel free to submit items for the Cheeseburger Challenge, if you have ideas, to paul@pasadena-chamber.org.

Last year the Cheeseburger Challenge generated more than 1200 votes spread across the various categories.

We also asked participants to provide their name and email address to be eligible to win delicious prizes and to receive updates on restaurant and dining related information throughout the year. (If you wouldl like to donate a gift certificate or other prize, please let us know.) So far, we have more than 1850 people who have signed up and remained on the list during the three restaurant-related events we hosted in 2012-13.

Here is what you need to do to be part of Cheeseburger Week 2014:

  1. Email paul@pasadena-chamber.org and say you want to take part. There is no cost for members of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce to be included in all the Cheeseburger Week promotions and to be listed on the Pasadena Restaurant Week/Cheeseburger Week website.
  2. Restaurants that are not members of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce need to pay $100 to support the promotion of Cheeseburger Week. You can send a check to Cheeseburger Week c/o Pasadena Chamber, 844 E. Green St., Suite 208, Pasadena, CA 91101. You can also pay online at www.pasadenarestaurantweek.com/home/restaurant-sign-up/ and follow the prompts for Pasadena Chamber members. You will pay with a credit card through PayPal and your cost will include an additional $5 processing fee. (Pasadena Chamber members support the promotional activities related to Cheeseburger Week through their annual dues. If you are not a member and are interested in joining the Pasadena Chamber, please email Kelly@pasadena-chamber.org.)
  3. Submit the Cheeseburger Challenge categories you would like to be included with for the online favorites voting to paul@pasadena-chamber.org. (A maximum of three categories and only one entry per category.)
  4. As soon as you can, email photos, special offers Cheeseburger Week menu items to paul@pasadena-chamber.org.

Cheeseburger Week is one of three restaurant events put on by the Chamber to focus attention on Pasadena as a dining destination. Our intent is to drive business to the participants and highlight Pasadena as a fun place to come for food and more. We provide all the support and promotional materials.

If you have questions or concerns, please call Paul at 626-795-3355 or email Paul@pasadena-chamber.org .