From Counter to Click: How a Chicago Fishmonger Is Redefining Local Seafood

CHICAGO, IL – March 18, 2026 – For nearly three decades, The Fish Guy has been a cornerstone of Chicago's culinary scene, its Albany Park shop a trusted source for the city's top chefs and discerning home cooks. Known for uncompromising quality and a deep commitment to responsible sourcing, the fishmonger built its reputation on the physical counter—a place of expertise, fresh catches, and personal service. Now, that counter has gone digital.

In a significant move that bridges tradition with technology, The Fish Guy has launched a fully integrated ecommerce solution, partnering with the grocery platform eGrowcery and the financial technology giant Square. This strategic overhaul transforms the retailer’s online presence from a basic informational site into a seamless, sophisticated digital marketplace, allowing customers across Chicagoland to access its premium seafood with the click of a button.

“We're excited to offer a seamless ecommerce experience to our ‘afishionados’ across Chicagoland,” said Aaron Rubens, Managing Partner of The Fish Guy. “Thanks to the powerful collaboration between eGrowcery and Square, we can now efficiently handle everything from online ordering to secure payments and reliable fulfillment. Our customers love the simplicity, and our team appreciates how well everything integrates.”

A Digital Leap for a Legacy Business

Founded in 1997, The Fish Guy carved out its niche by focusing on seasonal, fished-to-order sourcing and building relationships with small-scale fisheries. This philosophy ensured that everything from its ikejime-sourced selections to its sushi-ready species was handled with the care demanded in Chicago's most celebrated kitchens. For years, its business model thrived on in-person interactions and wholesale accounts.

While the company maintained a web presence, it previously served more as a digital brochure, showcasing products and sharing the brand's story. The transition to a complete ecommerce operation represents a pivotal evolution. This isn't just about adding a shopping cart; it's about re-engineering the business for a new era of retail. The new platform, powered by eGrowcery, has been customized to reflect The Fish Guy's unique brand identity and operational workflows, ensuring the digital experience feels as authentic as a visit to the Elston Avenue shop.

The integration addresses a core challenge for many beloved local businesses: how to expand reach and convenience without sacrificing the quality and personal touch that define them. By adopting this new system, The Fish Guy is not just selling fish online; it is digitizing its long-standing commitment to customer service and quality, making its premium offerings more accessible than ever before.

The Tech Duo Leveling the Playing Field

The collaboration between eGrowcery and Square is at the heart of this transformation, highlighting a powerful trend in the retail technology sector: specialized platforms joining forces to empower independent businesses. eGrowcery provides the white-label ecommerce backbone—a system that allows retailers to operate under their own brand—while Square handles the complex web of payments, point-of-sale (POS) integration, and order management.

For a specialty retailer like The Fish Guy, this integrated approach is critical. It creates a single, intuitive interface for managing online orders, tracking real-time transactions, and generating reports. This eliminates the friction and inefficiencies that often arise from patching together disparate software for ordering, payment, and fulfillment—a common headache for small businesses attempting to go digital.

“Our goal is to give local retailers like The Fish Guy digital tools that rival the biggest players while still reflecting the personal service and quality shoppers expect from a trusted neighborhood business,” explained Patrick Hughes, CEO of eGrowcery. He noted that the partnership underscores the growing importance of making retail as frictionless as possible. “By integrating Square’s proven payment technology, we’ve created a complete solution that supports business growth and provides a superior customer experience.”

This move also aligns perfectly with Square's broader strategy. The company has built its brand on providing accessible, powerful tools for independent merchants. “We’re proud to work with eGrowcery to help local retailers like The Fish Guy strengthen their online presence,” said Morgan Kuntze, Global Partnerships Lead at Block, Square's parent company. “Together, we’re making it easier for independent merchants to deliver a frictionless shopping, checkout, and fulfillment experience.”

Riding the Wave of Digital Transformation

The Fish Guy's digital upgrade is not happening in a vacuum. It reflects a seismic shift in the grocery and specialty food industry. The online grocery market has seen explosive growth, with sales surging as consumers increasingly prioritize convenience. Projections show the online channel will be the fastest-growing in retail for the foreseeable future, a trend that puts immense pressure on independent stores to adapt or risk being left behind by larger competitors like Amazon and Walmart.

However, data also reveals a key advantage for local businesses: trust. Studies show that a vast majority of shoppers trust their local grocers more than national chains. The challenge, and the opportunity, lies in pairing that trust with the digital convenience modern consumers demand. By investing in a sophisticated ecommerce platform, The Fish Guy is doing just that—leveraging its decades-old reputation for quality while meeting customers where they are now: online.

This trend is particularly relevant for specialty food retailers, whose unique, high-quality products are often a key differentiator. The ability to tell their story, showcase their sourcing, and provide a premium shopping experience online is crucial. The new platform enables The Fish Guy to expand its reach beyond its physical neighborhood, connecting with food lovers across the Chicago metropolitan area who value sustainably sourced, high-quality seafood but may have been limited by geography.

This strategic adoption of technology allows a cherished local institution to not only survive in a competitive digital landscape but to thrive. It serves as a powerful case study for other independent retailers, demonstrating that embracing innovation is not a departure from tradition but a necessary step to ensure that tradition continues for generations to come.