Schoop's Hamburgers • 1948

The Schoop Burger—fresh beef hand-formed and smashed using a unique cooking process—has drawn lines out the door since Allen Schoop opened his first restaurant on Calumet Avenue in Hammond in 1948. He lived above that original location, selling burgers at fifteen cents apiece and building what became a Northwest Indiana institution. Today, the crispy-edged patties, golden fries, and rich shakes still pack the dining rooms across the region.