MUNSTER, IN – Schoop’s Hamburgers has been a hamburger institution in Illinois and NW Indiana since 1948. It all started in Hammond, IN when Allen Schoop created a formula for making fresh, made-to-order ground beef into one of the best hamburgers you can find in the Chicago area.
Schoop’s began at a modest site in Hammond, IN. The first burgers were sold for 14 cents a piece and the company brought in about $2,000 in it’s first month of operation. The original menu had hamburgers, french fries, chili, soup, and pie.
In 1959, Schoop’s opened it’s second restaurant in Munster, IN. Customers found out about the tasty burger and began to form lines alone Ridge Road for a chance at one of the 36 seats in the restaurant. Schoop’s doubled the size of it’s restaurant in 1969 and people still stood in line to get a Schoop’s burger. Today, Schoop’s operates 19 locations within the Chicago metropolitan area, including one in Chicago Heights, Monee, Orland Park, Bourbonnais, Calumet City, and many other Northwest Indiana locations.
Schoop’s hamburger is top notch. With it’s over-sized patty, the hamburger meat looks as if it is being squeezed out of the bun. The gristled edges of the burger give it the distinct taste and texture that Schoop’s is known for. For most of my life, I ordered the “Mickey”, which is a big cheeseburger with two slices of cheese and one slice of meat. I’ve now grown accustomed to the double cheeseburger topped with cheese, ketchup, mustard, and grilled onions. Schoop’s is consistent with it’s flavor throughout all of it’s Chicago area restaurants. I personally have had the opportunity to eat at half of them, all of which I would give rave reviews to.
