Bishop's serving up nostalgia after 90 years

WESTMONT – If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

That seems to be the motto at Bishop's Famous Chili, a Chicago area mainstay that's been serving the same recipe for 90 years.

“It never changes,” said Mary Ellen Hope, a fourth-generation manager of the business and a Downers Grove resident.

Legend has it that in 1925, Hope's great-grandmother and namesake, Mary Bishop, was working at a restaurant on Chicago's southwest side called Ole's Chili, when she changed the recipe, was fired and opened the original Bishop's down the street.

Over the years, as the chili legacy was passed down from generation to generation, Bishop's opened storefronts in Forest Park, North Riverside and Westmont. Today, the Westmont eatery, established in 1974 and located at 250 N. Cass Ave., is the only Bishop's still in business.

In its nine decades, the restaurant has gained renown across the Chicago area.

Patricia Klug – Bishop's owner since 1970 and Hope's mother – said the shop welcomed celebrity customers ranging from Richard J. Daley to Ernie Banks in its Chicago days, while Ron Santo visited the Westmont store.

“We still have old timers,” said Klug, referencing patrons who come from Chicago and remember the original location.

Bishop's has also been featured on the Food Network program “Food Finds” and WGN's “Chicago's Best.”

There are several things that set Bishop's chili apart, Hope said. A smooth, creamy, mild stew, it is made with beef, pork and beans – no tomatoes. The soup simmers overnight to maximize its flavor before being served, and all the ingredients are fresh and local, rather than canned or processed.

“The product is absolutely marvelous,” Klug said. “I could eat it every day.”

Hope credits the store's success to its consistency. She said the Westmont restaurant looks almost identical today to when it opened more than 40 years ago. So little changes in the shop that some customers were even upset when the eatery replaced its chili bowls, and the restaurant's root beer vendor has been in business almost as long as Bishop's.

“When you walk in, it's a very warm and welcoming environment,” said Larry Forssberg, executive director of the Westmont Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau. “We love having them here.”

Bishop's makes an effort to extend that hospitality to their neighbors as well as their customers by supporting area stores, Hope said – a practice the restaurant has kept since trading ration coupons with other businesses in order to stay afloat during World War II.

“I've never felt it be competitive in Westmont,” she said.

In the future, Bishop's would like to grow its large-scale catering efforts and is open to expanding, but has no immediate plans.

“I always loved it,” Klug said of the shop. “It's meant so much.”

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Know more

For more information on Bishop's Famous Chili, visit bishopschili.com.