Andrew and Jonathan Schnipper founded Hale and Hearty Soups in 1990, offering New Yorkers a rotating selection of small-batch soups in a fast-casual setting. Now they are back at it again, opening Schnipper’s Quality Soups this past January.
The brothers exited the business in 2006, and in 2023, Hale and Hearty Soups declared bankruptcy. At one time, the NYC-based chain numbered 32 locations.
“My brother Jonathan was the original chef and we thought it was time to open a soup place again as there were none in New York City,” said Andrew Schnipper. “Some fast casuals offer one, two or three soups, but most buy it wholesale. We’re making the soups in in the back of the house in small batches.”
Coincidentally, Schnipper’s Quality Soups occupies the same Manhattan storefront as the original Hale and Hearty. The menu offers eight to 12 soups daily, five of which are always on the menu. All are new recipes created by Jonathan, and the stock is made fresh every day.
One of the best sellers is Tomato Cheddar, “made with similar ingredients as Hale and Hearty’s version but not the same,” said Andrew. It’s one of the five “everyday soups,” along with Chicken Vegetable, A Dozen Veggies, Lentil Chili and Italian White Bean with Baby Kale. Rotating specials include Creamy Parsnip, Curried Chicken Chowder and Spinach Artichoke Cheddar.
Tomato Cheddar is one of five "everyday soups" on the menu.
Sampling is key to sales, and Schnipper’s offers small tastes of any or all of the soups to ease decision making. The soups come in small, medium and large sizes and range in price from $4.50-$12; a piece of locally baked artisan bread comes with each order. Quarts are also available.
“We’re still tweaking the recipes and training the teams,” said Andrew. Soup production is still done in steam kettles like it was in the 1990s, but “the technology in the front end is way different,” he added.
Electronic menu boards make it easier to rotate in soups and let customers know when a soup runs out. “We used to have slots on the wall and had to handwrite menu additions and remove others,” said Andrew. “Some handwriting was hard to read!” The Toast POS system links right to the menu boards and third-party deliveries are now a big part of business. “But we still have a phone to keep that personal touch in case a customer wants to contact us.”
Andrew admits that the soup business is seasonal, and the cold winter of 2025 is certainly boosting sales. But since Americans don’t eat soup in summer, he said, Schnipper’s also offers a good selection of grab-and-go salads and sandwiches. “The salads are all chopped and you can actually eat them with a spoon,” said Andrew.
Even though the Schnipper brothers exited Hale and Hearty back in 2006, they opened Schnipper’s restaurant in 2009, an eatery with two New York City locations. The menu offers burgers, sandwiches, salads, sloppy joes and chicken fingers. Recently, they partnered with burger historian George Motz to open Hamburger America.
“Hospitality is in our DNA,” said Andrew, “and we’re excited to be back in the soup business.” So far, Schnipper’s Quality Soups is running well and he predicts it could become a multi-unit concept. “All our places have been [more than one location],” he added.
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