The Berghoff (restaurant)
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Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
, was opened in 1898 by Herman Joseph Berghoff and has become a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
landmark.
Herman Berghoff immigrated to America from Dortmund, Germany, in 1870. Herman and his three brothers, Henry, Hubert and Gustav, started brewing Berghoff's Beer
Joseph Huber Brewing Company
The Joseph Huber Brewing Company was founded in 1845 in Monroe, Wisconsin. It was originally called The Blumer Brewery, but in 1947 adopted its current name. It is the oldest continually operating brewery in the Midwest and second oldest in the United States....
in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, in 1887. Herman wanted to expand the market for the family's beer and to do so he sold beer at the Chicago World's Fair
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
of 1893.
The popularity of the beer inspired Herman to open a cafe to showcase Berghoff's Dortmunder-style beer
Dortmunder Export
Dortmunder Export or Dortmunder is a pale lager that originated in the then industrial city of Dortmund in Germany. Originally brewed by Dortmunder Union in 1873, this soft pilsner style beer became very popular with industrial workers, and was responsible for Dortmunder Union becoming Germany's...
which it sold for a nickel. Sandwiches were offered for free. The bar remained open even through the prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
period by selling a near beer (which is now sold as Berghoff's Root Beer
Joseph Huber Brewing Company
The Joseph Huber Brewing Company was founded in 1845 in Monroe, Wisconsin. It was originally called The Blumer Brewery, but in 1947 adopted its current name. It is the oldest continually operating brewery in the Midwest and second oldest in the United States....
) and Bergo Soda Pop and became a full service restaurant. After prohibition was repealed in 1933, The Berghoff was issued Liquor License No. 1. Long after most restaurants ended the practice, the Berghoff maintained a separate men's only bar. The segregation ended in 1969, when seven members of the National Organization for Women
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...
stood at the bar and demanded service.
For much of its history, the Berghoff waiters would purchase the meals they were serving from the kitchen and then deliver them to the customer, keeping the amount the customer paid for the meals.
On December 28, 2005, it was announced by Herman Berghoff, 70, and his wife Jan Berghoff that after 107 years of operation, The Berghoff would close on February 28, 2006. Herman and Jan are the third generation of Berghoffs to own the restaurant.
The restaurant's basement cafe reopened on April 18, 2006, during weekday lunch hours only, and is run by Carlyn Berghoff, Herman and Jan's daughter. She also reopened the Berghoff's bar on May 23, 2006, under the new name "17/West at The Berghoff." Carlyn Berghoff has converted the dining room of the restaurant into a private banquet hall called "The Century Room." The Berghoff Cafe at O'Hare Airport also remains open. The Berghoff Brewery was sold to the Falstaff company
Falstaff Brewing Corporation
The Falstaff Brewing Corporation was a major American brewery located in St. Louis, Missouri. With roots in the 1838 Lemp Brewery of St. Louis, the company was renamed after the Shakespearean character of Sir John Falstaff in 1903. Production peaked in 1965 with 7,010,218 barrels brewed, and then...
in 1954. The Huber company began brewing the beers in 1960 under contract, and purchased the brand from the Berghoff family in 1995. The Berghoff beers include their Bock
Bock
Bock is a strong lager of German origin. Several substyles exist, including maibock or helles bock, a paler, more hopped version generally made for consumption at spring festivals; doppelbock, a stronger and maltier version; and eisbock, a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer...
, Genuine Dark, Hazelnut Winterfest, Hefeweizen, and Honey Maibock. Berghoff beer is currently owned by Minhas Craft Brewery, formerly known as Joseph Huber Brewing Company
Joseph Huber Brewing Company
The Joseph Huber Brewing Company was founded in 1845 in Monroe, Wisconsin. It was originally called The Blumer Brewery, but in 1947 adopted its current name. It is the oldest continually operating brewery in the Midwest and second oldest in the United States....
.
As of sometime in 2007, The Berghoff had been reopened with a somewhat changed menu.