Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
PREPARED FOOD SHOPPE
PREPARED FOOD SHOPPE. Established by Ambrose and Dorothy "Dotty" Hoeger, the Prepared Food Shoppe opened in 1946 was Dubuque's first delicatessen.
When the Hoegers met in a Chicago hospital in 1939, both were nurses. The idea for the restaurant belonged to Ambrose who lived in a Jewish neighborhood in Chicago. Their first store, at 335 W. Eighth Street was demolished for the construction of the Locust Street PARKING RAMP. They moved the business a half-block away at 420 W. Eighth. It remained there until 1979 when that building was demolished. They attempted to find a new location, but were discouraged by the requirements that had been established for food handling.
The best customers of the Shoppe were the many telephone operators who worked at NORTHWESTERN BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY. When automation led to the operators losing their jobs, business shifted to employees of downtown businesses. The Shoppe also operated a wholesale pie business that supplied nearly every restaurant in Dubuque. They baked up to five hundred pies daily for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Catering company picnics and business luncheons also brought in a lot of business.
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Source:
Knee, Bill, "Hoegers Desert Hungry Dubuquers," Telegraph Herald, January 28, 1979, p. 26