Slopper facts for kids
A slopper is a special kind of cheeseburger or hamburger that's covered in a lot of chili sauce. This chili can be red or green. Sloppers usually have grilled buns and are often topped with fresh onions. Sometimes, they even come with french fries! Because they are so messy and delicious, people usually eat them with a fork, knife, or spoon. You can find sloppers in restaurants and taverns in the Pueblo and Colorado Springs areas of Colorado.
The Story of the Slopper
People believe the slopper first appeared in Pueblo, Colorado, sometime in the early to mid-1970s. It's not completely clear which restaurant served the very first one. Some say it was Coors Tavern, while others think it started at Star Bar.
Who Invented the Slopper?
One story from an old website for Gray's Coors Tavern says the slopper began there in the 1950s. This story also claims the name "slopper" came from a customer who said the dish looked like "slop." This website gives credit to brothers Johnnie and Joe Greco for creating the slopper. They used to own the tavern.
Another popular story suggests that a man named Herb Casebeer invented the slopper. Herb owned a sports shop and was a regular customer at Coors Tavern in the late 1950s or early 1960s. He got tired of eating a plain hamburger every day. So, he asked Joe Greco to put a plain cheeseburger in a bowl and cover it with green chili sauce. Herb would then add a handful of oyster crackers. Herb would often share this meal with Harry Simmons, a famous basketball coach. Simmons later told many people that Herb's creation was a special dish from Pueblo.
Sloppers on TV!
The slopper even appeared on a Travel Channel TV show called Food Wars in 2010. The episode was titled "Pueblo -- The Slopper." The show talked to people from restaurants that serve sloppers. They also interviewed Juan Espinosa, who used to be an editor for the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper.
Espinosa shared his thoughts on how the slopper started. He said the Greco brothers, who owned Johnnie's Coors Tavern from 1935 to 1983, were the ones behind it. According to Espinosa, a customer named Herb Casebeer wasn't happy with how little chili was on his chiliburger. To make Herb happy, his burger was completely covered in chili. This was probably meant as a joke, but it turned into a new and popular way to serve the burger!
Sloppers Go to Hawaii
It's interesting to know that John Greco had a son named Joe, and his brother Joe Greco had a son named John. The younger John Greco moved to Hawaii many years ago. There, he opened a tavern called "Bubbas Burgers." Even today, his restaurant's menu still features the famous Pueblo "Slopper"!
