If you grew up in the nineties, those six words—"Welcome to Good Burger, home of the good burger"—are basically hardcoded into your DNA. You can hear the nasal, upbeat tone of Ed (played by Kel Mitchell) just by reading them. It’s weird, honestly. A sketch that started on Nickelodeon’s All That in 1994 turned into a cult classic 1997 film, and then somehow, against all odds, birthed a sequel nearly thirty years later. People are still obsessed. But why?
It isn't just nostalgia.
The home of the good burger isn't a real place you can drive to for a 2:00 AM snack, even though we all wish it was. It’s a specific vibe. It represents a very particular era of physical comedy and "slacker" brilliance that seems to have vanished from modern streaming services. When we talk about the home of the good burger, we're talking about a legacy that spans from a soundstage in Orlando to the peak of Gen X and Millennial pop culture.
The Actual Origins of the Good Burger Uniform
Most fans think the movie was the start. It wasn't. The sketch first aired on All That during the show’s first season. Dan Schneider, the producer who eventually became a controversial figure in TV history, wrote the original premise. The idea was simple: a brainy but well-meaning cashier who takes everything way too literally.
Kel Mitchell based Ed's iconic voice on a "surfer dude" character he used to do to make his friends laugh. It wasn't supposed to be a franchise. It was supposed to be a filler segment between musical guests.
But then the audience went wild.
The blue-and-white striped uniform, the paper hat, and the "Ed Sauce" became symbols of a goofy, harmless rebellion against the corporate "Mondo Burger" types of the world. By the time the 1997 film rolled around, directed by Brian Robbins, the home of the good burger had become a symbol of the underdog. It was independent, it was messy, and it was weirdly wholesome.
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Where was the movie actually filmed?
Here is a bit of trivia that usually ruins the magic: the "Good Burger" building wasn't a set built on a backlot. Well, the interior was, but the exterior was a real restaurant. It was a place called West Coast Footprints (and formerly a Sandy's) located at 437 Glendora Avenue in La Puente, California.
If you go there today, you won't find Ed. You won't find a giant fiberglass burger on the roof. After filming wrapped, it reverted to being a standard local eatery before eventually becoming various other businesses. But for a few months in the late nineties, that corner of California was the literal home of the good burger.
The Mystery of the Secret Sauce
Every great burger joint has a gimmick. In the movie, the "Secret Sauce" is what saves the restaurant from being shut down by the high-tech, steroid-pumping Mondo Burger across the street. Ed creates it in his kitchen, and it’s so good it makes people literally dance.
In the real world, fans have spent decades trying to reverse-engineer it.
Honestly, if you look at the "official" recipes released through various Nickelodeon cookbooks over the years, it's basically a variation of Thousand Island dressing. You’ve got your mayo, your ketchup, your relish, and maybe a dash of lemon juice or sugar. It’s simple. But in the context of the movie, that sauce represented the "soul" of the business. It was the antithesis of the chemically engineered patties Mondo Burger was pushing.
Why the 2023 Sequel Actually Happened
For years, a sequel seemed like a pipe dream. Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell had a bit of a falling out, or at least a drift, as Kenan moved on to become the longest-running cast member in Saturday Night Live history. They didn't speak much. The home of the good burger seemed like a relic of the past.
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Then came the 2015 Tonight Show sketch.
Jimmy Fallon managed to get them back in the uniforms for a one-off skit. The internet exploded. The YouTube clip racked up tens of millions of views almost overnight. It proved to Paramount and Nickelodeon that the "Good Burger" brand wasn't dead; it was just hibernating.
When Good Burger 2 finally dropped on Paramount+ in late 2023, it leaned heavily into the "Legacy Sequel" trope. It brought back the original cast, including the villainous Dex (Kenan) who—surprise, surprise—is still getting into schemes. But the core remained: Ed is still working at the same counter, wearing the same hat, and still being the heart of the home of the good burger.
It’s rare for a comedy sequel to land after 26 years. Usually, they feel desperate. While the sequel wasn't a cinematic masterpiece, it worked because it didn't try to be "modern." It stayed goofy. It stayed loud. It stayed Ed.
The Business of Nostalgia
From a business perspective, the home of the good burger is a goldmine for Paramount. They’ve done several "pop-up" restaurants in Los Angeles and New York where fans could actually pay $30 for a "Good Burger," a side of "Good Fries," and a "Good Shake."
I went to one.
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It was crowded. The walls were covered in orange Nickelodeon splats. People were waiting in line for two hours just to take a picture with a cardboard cutout of Kel Mitchell. It’s a fascinating case study in how a low-budget kids' comedy can turn into a permanent lifestyle brand. People don't just want the burger; they want to feel like they’re ten years old again, sitting on a beanbag chair on a Saturday morning.
Common Misconceptions About the Movie
- The Burger was real: Not really. Most of the burgers seen on screen during the "big" scenes were props or cold by the time the cameras rolled.
- The Cast hated it: Actually, most of the cast speaks very fondly of it. Linda Cardellini, who played Heather, went on to be an Emmy-nominated actress in Dead to Me and Mad Men, yet she still gets asked about the "shark" scene.
- It was a box office flop: It wasn't! It made almost $24 million on an $8 million budget. In 1997, that was a solid win for a film aimed strictly at kids.
What Made the Home of the Good Burger Unique?
The movie came out during a time when "slapstick" was transitioning. We had Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber, but those were for adults (sort of). Good Burger was for the kids who weren't allowed to watch Jim Carrey yet.
It used "bright" humor. Everything was colorful. Everything was loud. But it also had this weird, surrealist edge. Think about the scene where Ed and Dex get sent to "Demented Hills," the asylum. It’s genuinely creepy and strange, featuring a dance number with George Clinton. You don't see that in modern "safe" kids' movies anymore.
The home of the good burger was a place where logic didn't apply, and that was the point.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
If you’re looking to relive the glory days or dive deeper into the lore, here is what you should actually do:
- Track down the 1997 soundtrack. Seriously. It features Coolio, Less Than Jake, and The Roots. It is a time capsule of nineties hip-hop and ska-punk that has no business being as good as it is.
- Watch the All That sketches first. If you only know the movie, you're missing the "raw" Ed. The sketches are faster, weirder, and show the evolution of the character's timing.
- Visit the filming locations (virtually or in person). While the restaurant itself is gone, the surrounding areas in La Puente still have that specific "Valley" feel that grounded the movie in reality.
- Try the "Official" Sauce. Look up the 2023 promotional recipes. They finally leaned into the "Secret Sauce" hype by giving out specific ratios of mustard to mayo that actually taste decent on a backyard grill.
The home of the good burger isn't just a fictional fast-food joint. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the simplest characters—the ones who just want to make a good burger and be nice to people—are the ones that stick with us the longest. Ed wasn't a hero. He was a guy who liked his job. In a world of gritty reboots and cynical comedies, maybe that’s why we keep going back.
Make sure to check the original All That episodes on Paramount+ to see the very first time the phrase was uttered; it’s a bit different than the movie version, more grounded and less stylized. You can also find behind-the-scenes footage of the 2023 sequel which shows just how much work went into recreating the original sets to be pixel-perfect for the fans.