Patty Melt

The patty melt descends from the hamburger sandwich, a patty served between slices of bread rather than in a bun, which goes back to the mid-1800s. The version with melted cheese, fried onions and griddled rye took shape in the middle of the 20th century, most likely during the Depression or the post-war boom, and is usually credited to the Los Angeles restaurateur Tiny Naylor. Because bread, cheese, onions and meat are grilled together and assembled hot, the whole thing fuses into one unit that does not fall apart in the hand, which is a large part of why it became a diner standard.

• United States
• Since 2002
• $$

Freddy’s opened in Wichita, Kansas, in 2002, founded by brothers Bill and Randy Simon, their business partner Scott Redler, and their father, Freddy Simon. Freddy was a Second World War veteran who had earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star and spent more than half a century in the restaurant business. The chain was built to feel like the burger places of his youth in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Around 580 restaurants across the United States.

The full Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers burger menu and story →