The Guberburger

As far as I can tell, the Guberburger was not invented in Sedalia, Missouri, in 1947. It certainly became popular there, thanks to Lyman Keuper, owner of the Wheel Inn Drive-In, who supposedly traded his curly fry recipe to a traveling salesman in exchange for the Guberburger recipe (which is funny because it’s not much of a recipe at all). The Wheel Inn used to sell a smashed classic burger with a dollop of hot peanut butter, or “goober” as it was affectionately known.

But all of this came to a screeching halt when the Wheel Inn closed its doors in 2007. The classic drive-in, with carhop service until the end, met its demise for the very reason it existed—cars. The Wheel Inn was torn down, a victim of road widening at the busy corner on which it sat. Judy Clark, a longtime waitress (of forty-seven years!) bought the business and managed to reopen, only to close again for good a few years later.