Obituaries

Allen Brothers Chairman Bobby Hatoff Dies

Allen Brothers chairman Bobby Hatoff (left) with his son and CEO Todd.
Allen Brothers chairman Bobby Hatoff (left) with his son and CEO Todd. Photo: courtesy Allen Brothers

The Chicago and national beef industry is mourning the loss of one of its leading figures today. Bobby Hatoff, chairman of Allen Brothers, died this past weekend. Allen Brothers, located on Halsted near the former Chicago stockyards, dates back to that era of Chicago meat history, having been founded in 1893, and has long been a supplier of Prime beef to the restaurant trade. Hatoff, the third generation of the family to operate the business, took it over in the 1980s, not only maintaining and enhancing the brand’s reputation as a supplier of Prime beef but expanding into consumer marketing in the 1990s through catalogs and online sales. (Allen Brothers was one of the Rush Limbaugh sponsors who did not drop their sponsorship during the calls for boycotts of his program. Guess they knew an audience of red meat eaters when they saw one.) Hatoff was a chairman of the North American Meat Processors Association and was due to be inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame later this month. His son Todd continues as the company’s president and chief executive officer. [Meatingplace via GMFA]

Allen Brothers Chairman Bobby Hatoff Dies