Our History

John’s Original Pork Chop Sandwich was founded in Butte, Montana in 1924. The original Pork Chop John, John Burklund, sold his pork chop sandwiches from the back of a wagon located on the corner of Mercury and Main Streets. As demand for the unique sandwich increased, John opened a restaurant on Mercury Street in 1932. Consisting of a counter, 10 stools and a walk-up window, the original store became a landmark and drew people from far and wide. Still known today as Pork Chop John’s, that same store remains our flagship retail location and our home office. Butte, Montana in the day of John Burklund was a thriving metropolis spawned by a seemingly endless supply of copper and wealth mined from the "Richest Hill on Earth." As the price of copper declined and the copper and the jobs grew scarce, people started to move from the once booming camp. Still, the Pork Chop Sandwich remains in Butte and the craving for their unique flavor follows Butte expatriates whereever they go. People from all over the United States, with Butte ties, then and now, claim to have "withdrawal symptoms" when they go too long without a pork chop sandwich and our Butte restaurants are often one of the first stops for folks visiting after a long absence. With the advent of time, technology and transport they can now order John’s Original Pork Chop from every corner of the nation. If you’ve never tried one, do so, history will repeat itself!

If you have any questions, call us at (406) 782-0812
or send an e-mail to info@porkchopjohns.com.