A Cheeseburger Is Really a "Cheezborger" When It's Served with Chicago-Style Attitude at the Billy Goat Tavern

What makes a cheeseburger a "cheezborger"? When it's served at an establishment known for a stray farm animal, a sports curse, a Saturday Night Live skit, and Chicago-style attitude. I'm talking, of course, about the Billy Goat Tavern and Grill, one of the city's most famous burger joints. And the story behind the Billy Goat is stranger than fiction.

The Billy Goat got its start in 1934 when Greek immigrant William Sianis purchased a tavern across the street from the Chicago Stadium (now the United Center). One day, a goat fell off a passing truck outside and wandered into the tavern. Sianis adopted the goat, who he named Murphy, grew a goatee himself, and soon became known by the nickname "Billy Goat." He also named his tavern after his new pet, who became the establishment's mascot. Among other pastimes, Murphy developed a fondness for drinking beer.

Murphy would soon become infamous when he played a key role in a feud between Sianis and the Chicago Cubs. On October 6, 1945, the Cubs were playing game 4 of the world series against the Detroit Tigers. Sianis tried to get Murphy into the game at Wrigley Field, but the goat was refused entry by park ushers. Sianis appealed to Cubs owner P. K. Wrigley, but Wrigley refused to let Murphy in, saying "the goat stinks."According to legend, Sianis then declared, "The Cubs will never win a world series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field!" When the Cubs lost the world series, Sianis sent a telegram to Wrigley with the message, "Who stinks now?"

William's nephew Sam Sianis, who took over the Billy Goat, was granted entry into Wrigley Field with a descendant of Murphy several times in the 1980s and 1990s in an effort to reverse the curse. However, according to the folks at the Billy Goat, the curse wasn't fully lifted until the Cubs made the world series of 2016. When game 7 went into extra innings, Sam rang Murphy's old bell, supposedly "awakening the spirits." The Cubs would finally go on to win the world series.

As if all this business with the goat and the curse wasn't enough, a Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit cemented the Billy Goat's place in Chicago history.

The first SNL skit based on the Billy Goat was written in 1978 by writer/actor Don Novello (who is perhaps best known for playing the character Father Quido Sarducci on the show). Novello told the Chicago Tribune in 1999 that he based the skit on the Billy Goat, a place he frequented. According to Novello, the Billy Goat's staff would pronounce their signature dish as "cheezborger." (He also said that William Sianis would sit by the door with a cane, hit him, and tell him to get a haircut, but that isn't featured in any of the skits.)

The skits feature John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and others. In the skits, the restaurant's brusque staff speak with thick Greek accents. (The restaurant in the skit is named the Olympia Cafe, after a restaurant owned by Belushi's father in the 1960s.) The overall theme is that the staff steamroll every customer's order, whatever it may be, into a "cheezeborger" with only "cheeps" for a side because there are no fries and only "Petsi" to drink because there is no Coke. The common refrain of "Cheezborger; no fries, cheeps; no Coke, Petsi" easily gets stuck in one's head. Six cheezborger sketches ran on SNL in 1978 and 1979. In one of the skits, members of the Rolling Stones play customers. 

In a slight departure from the skit, the real Billy Goat offers Coke and no Pepsi. Today, the Goat operates at five locations throughout the city plus Midway and O'Hare. The Billy Goat's main location on lower Michigan Avenue in the Loop is a subterranean dive bar and grill frequented by Chicago Tribune reporters with walls chock full of newspaper articles and photographs. When I visited recently and tried to order a cheeseburger, staff talked me into ordering a double cheeseburger, saying "It's da best." So yes. you could say my order was steamrolled. However, it worked out because the patties were on the thin side anyway. The grill is out in the open, so you can watch staff cook your order. Burgers are served on a kaiser bun, and you add your own pickle, onions, ketchup, and mustard. There is no lettuce or tomato to be found; according to the folks at the Billy Goat, they don't serve lettuce or tomato because the goat at 'em. There are other items on the menu besides cheeseburgers, even a breakfast menu, but I didn't dare try to order any of them. Billy Goat hamburger patties are also sold at Jewel and Walmart, and Billy Goat beer is sold at Jewel and Mariano's. 

The Billy Goat Tavern and Grill is a delicious reminder of how colorful Chicago history is. Today's Billy Goat establishments operate with an attitude that is brusque, funny, and endearing at the same time, much like the SNL skit. In fact, if you have enough attitude, you can make your own Billy Goat-style double cheezborger at home. 

The Billy Goat-Style Double Cheezborger

-Serves 1

The cheezborger consists of:

-a kaiser bun

-two thin beef burger patties 

-sliced American cheese

-kosher pickle chips

-sliced onions

-ketchup and mustard

All you's got to do is:

Fry the patties in a little bit of oil on a skillet to 160 F. In the last couple of minutes or so of frying, add the cheese to the patties. Once the patties are cooked and the cheese is melted, place on the bun. Add pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard. Feed the lettuce and tomatoes to the goat. Serve with potato cheeps (no fries) and whichever cola you have on hand.

Sources:

Billy Goat Tavern

"Olympia Cafe," Wikipedia

"Cheezborger!" Chicago Tribune (October 19, 1999).