In 1948, Allen Schoop created a formula for transforming fresh, made-to-order ground beef into what one newspaper calls the "finest hamburger this side of the moon." From a modest site in Hammond, Indiana, Schoop sold the first burgers for 15 cents each, taking in $2000 in the first month. The original menu had burgers, french fries, chili, soup, and pie. Although there have been additions since, these simple items are still the mainstays of the Schoop’s menu. In 1959, Schoop’s opened a second restaurant in Munster, Indiana. Mostly through word of mouth, customers found out about the burger and formed lines along Ridge Road for a chance at one of the 36 seats. Schoop doubled the size of the restaurant in 1969 and people still stood in line. In 1982, Rick and Randy Newell joined Mark Schoop, Allen’s son, in the Schoop’s family. The three Calumet Region natives have worked to help establish many Schoop’s in or around the Calumet Region.
“Now it’s time to share Schoop’s with the rest of the world,” Rick Newell said.
