The beef is from Nebraska. The cheese is from Wisconsin. The chains were founded in Kansas, Illinois and Ohio. The holiday is September 18. Some things truly are Midwestern: burgers.

Tomorrow (September 18) is National Cheeseburger Day and a few chains are running deals worth knowing about. Did you know how Midwestern the cheeseburger actually is? While many cities across the U.S. have claimed the “birthplace of the cheeseburger,” the Midwest has taken the crown since then. On any given day, 21.4% of the U.S. population ages 2 years and older consumed a beef sandwich. Non-burger beef sandwiches were consumed by the largest proportion of individuals (13.0%), followed by cheeseburgers (6.8%), and hamburgers (2.7%). White Castle opened in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 as the country's first fast food chain, convincing a skeptical public that ground beef was safe by grinding steaks in the open in front of customers. Steak 'n Shake followed in Normal, Illinois in 1934, literally wheeling barrels of T-bone and sirloin into the dining room tableside under the slogan "In Sight, It Must Be Right." Wendy's opened in Columbus, Ohio in 1969 and Culver's got its start in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1984 where Craig Culver pressed fresh beef with an ice cream scoop. Then there's McDonald's: Ray Kroc opened his first franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955, the company's global headquarters is now in Chicago's West Loop and the on-site restaurant rotates an international menu every few months featuring items from Japan, India, Spain and Australia—the only McDonald's in the world that does it. As for the ingredients: Wisconsin produces 25% of all US cheese (3.64 billion pounds in 2025 across 600+ varieties from nearly 1,200 licensed cheesemakers) and Nebraska and Kansas alone processed nearly 59% of all US commercial cattle. Now go plan your cheeseburger pit stop, it’s a Midwestern holiday.

Here’s the latest in Midwest startup world. Ann Arbor-based Sling Therapeutics announced a $123M Series C to develop their small-molecule therapy, while Edina, MN-based ReEmerge exited stealth with a $37M Series A to challenge the limitations of cognitive impairment. Find more of the latest funding announcements, jobs and events below.

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