Cheeseburgers are a fast food order of choice, so of course there’s a National Cheeseburger Day to celebrate (September 18). Find all the ways to get free and cheap cheeseburgers below.
For more ways to save, check out all of our frugal posts.
I joke all the time and say there’s a national day for everything. But man, there really is. Today is National Cheeseburger Day. And, in honor of National Cheeseburger Day, a bunch of restaurants are offering free and cheap cheeseburgers to celebrate.
If you don’t want to go out for these, we have a list of easy cheeseburger recipes you can make at home.
National Cheeseburger Day is just one of the national days when you can get free food and special offers during the year. Make sure you don’t miss any this year.
Check out our list of Top 20+ National Days For Freebies And Deals to mark your calendar.
National Cheeseburger Day: Freebies And Deals
Affiliate links are included in this post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.
All of these are a one-day offer, available on September 18, unless otherwise noted.
We only included a deals if it was at a national or large regional fast food chain. We didn’t include any deals at local restaurants. Not that there aren’t good deals there, but that would just make this post too long.
However, I will give a quick shout out to the Union Gap Burger Trail in Union Gap, Washington. We went to the small town last year and ate burgers all around town. I’m not sure if any of those restaurants are offering National Cheeseburger Day deals, but it was fun to eat at them.
Applebee’s
Get one of three classic burgers and classic fries for only $8.99. This is valid in-restaurant, via the mobile app, or when you order online.
Choose from the Classic Burger, Classic Cheeseburger, and the Classic Bacon Cheeseburger.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Blazin’ Rewards members can get BOGO burgers.
BurgerFi
Get a $4 BurgerFi Cheeseburger with the purchase of a Coca-Cola freestyle beverage at regular price.
Burger King
Get a free cheeseburger with any $1 purchase using the offer in the Burger King app.
Burger King is also doing a week of deals for Royal Perks Members. The rest are:
- Thursday, September 19: Free 4 piece mozzarella fries with a $1 purchase.
- Friday, September 20: Free Croissan’wich with a $1 purchase.
- Saturday, September 21: Free 4 piece chicken fries with with a $1 purchase.
- Sunday, September 22: Free any size soft drink with a $1 purchase.
Come Back Shack
Get a free regular fry and medium drink when you buy a cheeseburger from open until 3 pm.
Carl’s Jr.
Get half off double cheeseburgers all day long.
Checker’s/Rally’s
Rewards members can get a free Cheese Champ burger with a minimum purchase of $2.
Dairy Queen
Get two Double Original Cheeseburger SIGNATURE STACKBURGERS for $8. You need to redeem the offer in the Dairy Queen app to get the deal.
Del Taco
Rewards members can get BOGO Double Del Cheeseburgers.
Denny’s
Rewards members can get 20% off any burgers.
Dog Haus
Get BOGO cheeseburgers with the offer in the app.
Fatburger
Buy a shake, get a free shake from 2 pm to 5 pm.
This is happening every day in September, so the BOGO deal is not for National Cheeseburger Day, but since Fatburger is known for its burgers, I’m adding it here.
Farmer Boys
Get the Big Cheese burger for only $4 at select locations after 2 pm. There’s a limit of 2. This is valid in-store only and is not valid on delivery orders or mobile ordering.
If you’re a VIF member, you’ll also receive an exclusive offer today.
Hardee’s
Rewards members will have an offer to get a Famous Star (a quarter pound, 100% Angus beef patty topped with melted American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced onions, dill pickles, special sauce, and mayonnaise on a potato bun) for $1.
Jack In The Box
Jack Pack Rewards Program members can get a free Jumbo Jack cheeseburger with any order of $1.
And, Jack In The Box is doing a week of deals for loyalty members. The rest are:
- Thursday, September 19: Free Smashed Jack with $20 Delivery.
- Friday, September 20: Double Points with Burger Order.
- Saturday, September 21: BOGO Jr. Jumbo Jack Burgers.
McDonald’s
Get a Double Cheeseburger for $.50 with the offer in the McDonald’s app.
Red Robin
Get a gourmet cheeseburger with a bottomless side for $10 until September 19.
Smashburger
Get Classic Smash Singles for $5.
If you’re in New York City or Denver, they’re giving out 500 free Classic Smash Singles at all participating locations.
Sonic Drive In
Get quarter-pounder double cheeseburger for $2.
Wahlburgers
The restaurant won’t post the deal until 9/18.
Wayback Burgers
Get buy one Classic Burger, get one free when you order on the Wayback app, in store, or online.
Wendy’s
Get a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger for $.01 with any purchase when you redeem the offer in the Wendy’s app.
White Castle
Get a free single cheese slider when you purchase a single cheese slider in the app. If you don’t have the app, you can say “SAYCHEESE” in store.
National Cheeseburger Day: Frequently Asked Questions
National Cheeseburger Day is celebrated annually on September 18th.
May is National Burger Month. And National Hamburger Day is celebrated on May 28th every year. National Cheeseburger Day is its own celebration.
The origin of the cheeseburger is rooted in a little bit of folklore. The story is that 16-year-old Lionel Sternberger was working at his father’s restaurant in Pasadena, California and added cheese to a burger — 26 years after the burger was created in America.
This is where the story veers into two camps. One says Lionel decided on a whim to throw a piece of cheese on top of a burger that was frying. The other story says a homeless man was passing by the restaurant and told Lionel to add a piece of cheese. Either way, Lionel added cheese to a burger and we’re all better for it.
As for why there’s a celebration of National Cheeseburger Day, that’s more so restaurants can cater to burger fans. It is an unofficial holiday, so there isn’t an official start or official proclamation.
Which of these National Cheeseburger Day deals and freebies are you heading out for? Let us know in the comments.