{"id":29201,"date":"2026-09-18T22:43:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T22:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/29201\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T22:43:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T22:43:12","slug":"national-cheeseburger-day-2026-deals-and-freebies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/29201\/","title":{"rendered":"National Cheeseburger Day 2026 deals and freebies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Call it a burger bonanza.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>National Cheeseburger Day has officially arrived and meat eaters are in for some juicy deals. Not to be confused with National Hamburger Day, which was on May 28 \u2014 this year\u2019s celebration honors America\u2019s favorite sandwich with a slice of cheese.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, just days ago Americans filled up on double the meats, celebrating National Double Cheeseburger Day, which falls on Sept. 15. Then there was National Cheese Toast Day, National Eat A Hoagie Day and National Grilled Chicken Day.<\/p>\n<p>National Cheeseburger Day is on Sept. 18 and is just days after National Double Cheeseburger Day pressmaster \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n<p>Well, now it\u2019s time to celebrate the OG as carnivores around the nation break out the grill one last time after Labor Day. Those who have put the spatula down can head to one \u2014 or many \u2014 burger joints to grab a patty for pennies.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the ongoing tariff feud with Canada driving beef prices up, fast food chains and major restaurants are giving customers some much-needed wallet relief, offering deals on tasty burgers.<\/p>\n<p>The Post put together a list of top spots to celebrate today.<\/p>\n<p>McDonald\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First up is an American classic, as McDonald\u2019s is slinging its famous Double Cheeseburgers on Sept. 18 for free. To get the grub, customers must make a purchase of $1.<\/p>\n<p>For one day only, fast foodies must order via the McDonald\u2019s app, and need to be opted into MyMcDonald\u2019s Rewards \u2014 the customer loyalty program.<\/p>\n<p>Deals are capped at one per person and delivery orders are excluded. Just note that customers can only score the freebie at participating locations \u2014 so you may want to check with your local store before ordering.<\/p>\n<p>McDonald\u2019s is offering up its Double Cheeseburgers with the purchase of a $1 item Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n<p>Wendy\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the Ohio-based chain offered customers a 1-cent Bacon Cheeseburger with any purchase made through their mobile app. Fans went crazy and expected the same this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, that may not be the case. This time around, the burger joint is handing out a free Baconator with an eligible $20 purchase through delivery giant Grubhub.<\/p>\n<p>Burger King\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This year, Burger King turned National Cheeseburger Day into an entire week, offering deals and other perks from Sept. 14 through Sept. 20.<\/p>\n<p>The offers started on Monday, giving customers a free Rodeo Burger with a $3 purchase. Tuesday was its buy-one, get-one-free deal on the Whopper Jr. Wednesday, the chain offered up a free Croissan\u2019wich with a $3 purchase.<\/p>\n<p>Thursday was a free hamburger with a $3 purchase, and Friday \u2014 the big day \u2014 is a free Bacon Cheeseburger with a $ purchase.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, hungry eaters looking for more deals can score a free 4-piece chicken nuggets with a $3 purchase and close out the weeklong offerings with a free Original Chicken Sandwich after a $3 purchase.<\/p>\n<p>Dairy Queen<\/p>\n<p>The queen herself is also offering multiple days of deals starting Sept. 14 through the 18th. Rewards members will score a free single Original Cheeseburger Signature Stackburger \u2014 with an app or online order of $1.<\/p>\n<p>Offers are only at Dairy Queen Grill &amp; Chill locations and are limited to one per person.<\/p>\n<p>Applebee\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Pasadena-based chain is bringing back its popular deal to honor the day \u2014 a classic burger or classic cheeseburger with fries for $8.99. The one-day deal is available for dine-in or to-go orders.<\/p>\n<p>Customers looking for an upgrade can grab another deal lasting all month long \u2014 the restaurant\u2019s O-M-Cheese Burger and new O-M-Cheese-adilla Burger. Both are available on Applebee\u2019s 2 for $25 menu, but for dine-in only.<\/p>\n<p>Red Robin will be handing out a burger, bottomless side and a drink for just $9.99 USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p>Red Robin<\/p>\n<p>The bird is dishing up a delectable deal for the burger\u2019s big day. The chain is offering Big Yummm Deals for just $9.99, where customers can grab an entr\u00e9e, a bottomless side and a bottomless drink.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Burger choices include the Red\u2019s Double Burger and Haystack Double Burger \u2014 but diners can score other burgers at higher prices.<\/p>\n<p>UNO Pizzeria &amp; Grill<\/p>\n<p>The popular pizza place is getting in on the burger action with four days of deals to celebrate. From Friday, Sept. 18 through Sept. 22, customers can score one of five burger creations.<\/p>\n<p>The lineup includes something to satisfy every taste bud: a lobster burger, pizza burger and bacon burger.<\/p>\n<p>Lobster Burger: A juicy burger topped with lobster salad for a surf-and-turf twist on the classic.<\/p>\n<p>Mike\u2019s Hot Honey Burger: Topped with melted cheese, crispy bacon and Mike\u2019s Hot Honey for the perfect sweet-and-spicy bite.<\/p>\n<p>Pepperoni Pizza Burger: Topped with melted mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce and pepperoni, bringing UNO\u2019s deep dish flavors to the burger.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Whole Hog Burger: Piled high with bacon, sausage and pepperoni for guests who like their burger stacked with protein.<\/p>\n<p>Southwest Chicken Burger: A Southwest-inspired chicken sandwich for guests craving something a little different.<\/p>\n<p>Wendy\u2019s will be giving out a free Baconator with an eligible $20 purchase on Grubhub Warzer Jaff for NY Post<\/p>\n<p>Wagamama\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The popular Japanese and Asian cuisine chain is putting its signature spin on the American classic with a new Teriyaki Wagyumama Beef Slider. Diners will see a Wagyu beef patty topped with teriyaki, Swiss cheese, crispy panko apple, red onions and pickled ginger mayo.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s one of four new beef sliders added to its latest menu lineup. Guests have a few pricing options  to choose from \u2014 one slider for $7.75, two for $14.50 or three for $21.25.<\/p>\n<p>Five Guys<\/p>\n<p>Valid from September 16 up to National Cheeseburger Day, the burger joint is offering a buy one, get one deal. Customers who buy any burger will get a burger of equal or lesser value for free.<\/p>\n<p>The freebie is only available through the app or website with one code per use. Diners must use the code BOGOBURGER at checkout.<\/p>\n<p>Ruby Tuesday<\/p>\n<p>The classic American \u201cneighborhood restaurant\u201d is offering a deal for National Cheeseburger Day that is on par with fast food chains. Customers can score a burger or sandwich with fries or tots all for just $6.99.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Diners can choose the American Smashed Burger, Ruby\u2019s Cheeseburger, Impossible Burger or other non-burger options.<\/p>\n<p>Denny\u2019s<\/p>\n<p>The diner is offering hungry guests a buy one, get one half off deal on its Diner QP burger. The burger is a 100% all-beef patty with melted American cheese, diced onions, pickles, mustard and ketchup on a brioche bun \u2014 served with wavy-cut fries.<\/p>\n<p>Guests who order one will get another 50% off.<\/p>\n<p>Whataburger <\/p>\n<p>Hungry eaters can get their hands on a free Bacon &amp; Cheese Whataburger Jr. with the purchase of medium fries or onion rings. The limit is two per guest and can be ordered online, in the app or in-store at participating locations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Call it a burger bonanza.\u00a0 National Cheeseburger Day has officially arrived and meat eaters are in for some juicy deals. Not to be confused with National Hamburger Day, which was on May 28 \u2014 this year\u2019s celebration honors America\u2019s favorite sandwich with a slice of cheese. Plus, just days ago Americans filled up on double<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29202,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[463,464,10172,35,24205,10639,769,18,7761],"class_list":["post-29201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-burger-joints","tag-burger-joint","tag-burger-joints","tag-burger-king","tag-burgers","tag-dairy-queen","tag-deals","tag-food-drink","tag-lifestyle","tag-mcdonalds"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117294461344436067","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29201\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}