For years, when passengers alighted from the State Street bus between Ohio and Grand in Chicago, the driver didn’t announce a street name or an intersection, he opened his doors and said “Burhop’s.”

A Chicago institution since 1926, when Albert E. Burhop (“Pops”) set up his wholesale distribution business at 545 N. State Street, Burhop’s went into the retail business more or less by accident.  According to Albert’s son Vern in 1985, “The area around the State Street store was once a lot more residential.  People saw the fish being taken in and out - through the front door in those days - so they walked in, slapped down some money and took some home.  The demand grew, so we finally installed some counters and made it part of our business.”

                  When Pops opened his business, refrigeration was basically ice in a truck, and seafood was not an easy commodity to move around the country.  Then Clarence Birdseye of vegetable fame developed the plate freezer, and Pops, who knew Mr. Birdseye, started using this technology to bring perishables such as shrimp and lobster into Chicago.  In the 30’s, shrimp of any size sold for 9 to 10.5 cents per pound, lobster at 25-30 cents per pound.

                  Vern, who died in 1995, started working for his dad when he was 14, in 1929, at the start of the depression. In order to keep the company afloat, everyone gave up one paycheck a month until the economy improved.  After working seven days a week for many years, in the mid-30s Pops decided it was time to hand the business over to Vern, so without any warning, he did and left that day.  Fresh out of the U of Illinois, Vern was literally dropped into the deep end, trying to pretend to business associates that his dad was still coming into the office.  Pops did return to the helm during WWII, so that Vern could serve in the US Navy in the Pacific. 

                  Jeff Burhop and his younger brother Jim started working for their dad on school vacations, joining the firm full time when they were done with college and grad school.  They encouraged their father to expand the retail business, which they did, by opening stores in the suburbs.  After Vern’s retirement in the early 1980s, the old wholesale business was closed down, and some of the stores closed or changed ownership.  The two stores which remain owned and operated by Jeff Burhop are located in Glenview and Hinsdale.

We Get Fresh Daily

Still in the wholesale business, Jeff Burhop supplies his own stores, as well as other retail seafood and specialty stores.  Why is Burhop’s still around after all these years? “Honesty, and great service,” according to Jeff.  “We’ve always tried to have the best products for our customers.  We don’t pretend one kind of fish is another kind of fish, and when we advertise a sale price it’s for fillets.  Some retailers advertise a cheap price, but if you read the fine print, it’s whole fish. With certain fish, by the time it’s filleted you loose 60%  of the weight, so the whole price is no bargain.  Also, when we say our fish is fresh it is - not thawed out frozen fish in a fresh fish case.  

                  “Our staff is trained to provide real service - we get to know a lot of our customers by name.  We can help customers with recipes, cooking tips, party menus. We will specially portion, bone and skin the customer’s fish, and we usually do it all with a good sense of humor.  If people want something special for a party, with a few days notice we can get almost anything, as long as it’s in season.”

                  After all these years, our goal is still the same as it always was - provide the best fresh seafood, the most helpful and knowledgeable staff,  and the information and ingredients our customers need to have a successful seafood meal every time they come in.