Cheeseburger Baby in Paradise

Stephanie Vitori’s Cheeseburger Baby has been serving burgers, fries, and more, on Miami Beach and in greater Miami, for more than 20 years.  Locations include Washington Avenue, the Miami Beach Convention Center, Hard Rock Stadium, and three (3) food trucks.

Vitori purchased the restaurant at the 1505 Washington Avenue location in 2004, after the business was traded several times and survived attempts to remove the “cheeseburger” from Cheeseburger Baby.

“There were no other local burger joints. Today, we are one of a few local burger joints in the neighborhood, and I am proud to stay true to our business,” states owner Vitori.

Vitori has always felt at home in the kitchen, so when the opportunity to purchase the restaurant presented itself, the former delivery driver, cook, and cashier took the chance to grow the business.

“A lot that I have done so far is without marketing, I literally handed out flyers to grow the business back in the day,” Vitori states, “…now we are doing social media and marketing to reach customers and grow the business.”

Whether working behind the grill at the restaurant, stadium, or food trucks, Vitori is not the kind of person to sit back and just count earnings.  The eatery has endured Zika, a pandemic, a 2009 recession, and hurricanes, and survived due to Vitori’s quick-thinking, planning and determination. Following Hurricane Irma, Cheeseburger Baby suffered some damage. To maintain the business, Vitori used her food truck generators to keep the equipment working and served the community with food as the city recovered. Vitori’s perseverance won the Phoenix Award for Outstanding Small Business Recovery in 2019.

After nearly twenty (20) years of operating, Vitori has advice for aspiring restauranters, “make sure this is what you want to do, you can give two hundred and fifty percent, and you are passionate about the business.” Also, “get certified as a small, women, minority, or disadvantaged business and/or self-identify. To operate any business in Miami Beach, a restaurant, a shop, or a technology firm, you have to be prepared for challenges. It is important to connect and network with the greater Miami Beach community, burger-lovers and fellow businesses.”

A prior recipient of the Miami Beach Restaurant Reimbursement Grant, Cheeseburger Baby has an energy you can only find in Miami Beach. From the sticker covered Pac-Man machine at the entrance, a bright neon sign on the facade, the smell of a one-of-a-kind cheeseburger being prepared right in front of you, to the  locally sourced creameries and bake goods – Cheeseburger Baby is as memorable as it is yummy. Open from 12 p.m. until 4 a.m. every day of the week, it is a must-do visit, taste and experience for residents and visitors of South Beach and beyond.

For more information, visit Cheeseburger Baby in person or via website at https://cheeseburgerbaby.net/