Our Story

OUR STORY

Here’s the story of how the famous Schoop’s Hamburger came to be…

1948

On Calumet Avenue in Hammond Indiana, Allen Schoop opened his first  restaurant and created the Schoop Burger! Fresh beef, hand formed and made with  a unique cooking process. He lived above the restaurant and this was his life. His first month’s sales were $2055 at $.15 a burger.

1959

Allen’s entrepreneurial spirit, led to a second location in Munster, Indiana.  The restaurant seated 36 people in 1000 square feet. Lines formed outside with  crowds of people eager to sink their teeth into a Schoop Burger.

1964

Allen’s 1960 Ford, known as the “Onion Wagon” transported food from Hammond to Munster. On a daily basis, they peeled 200 pounds of potatoes, 50  pounds of onions, and many pots of chili & soup daily.

1969

Allen doubled the size of the Munster location, sales doubled, and people still  waited in line.

1973

Allen's son Mark Schoop takes over the family business and continues to build the success of the brand.

1982

Rick & Randy Newell joined the Schoop’s family with their first location in  Calumet City, Illinois, followed by another in Century Mall in Merrillville, Indiana.

1984

Mark Schoop along with Rick & Randy Newell join together and start franchising restaurants. And so it began…

WHERE WE ARE TODAY

The past 25 years have brought about the expansion of Schoop’s Enterprises, Inc.  We have sold many franchises in locations including Indiana, Illinois, Florida, and Nevada. Our sales have been in the tens of millions. Some of our locations also serve  breakfast. Just like our handcrafted burgers, the breakfast we serve is hearty and  second to none. 
All of our locations are deep rooted into their communities. We have employed  thousands of high school and college students, many local residents, with some of  our employees being the third generation to work at our restaurants.

OUR PRINCIPLES

With all of our excitement and growth, our principles have 
remained the same. Use fresh ingredients and make a superb, unique, product at a  fair price.

We have been voted “Best Hamburger” by our customers, in our local newspaper, The Times, since the inception of its “Best of The Region” awards for over 25 years.  We have been recognized by numerous publications & television shows across the 
nation. 

Allen Schoop created the burger in 1948, by transforming fresh made-to-order  ground beef into what The Chicago Tribune calls the “finest hamburger this side of  the moon”.  It is still the same formula & unique cooking process that Schoop’s  restaurants use today. 
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