Our Story
The Most Trusted Name in Seafood Since 1975
Hill’s Quality Seafood is committed to providing the freshest seafood with unparalleled customer service. Since 1975, our family has established a reputation of trust built upon long-standing relationships, exceptional product selection and quality, and a commitment to sustainable fishing practices.
Bernie Grogan came up through the seafood business and worked every job possible - starting at his Aunt Helen & Uncle Roland Hill’s fish market (the original Main Line Seafood in Ardmore) where he would wash dishes and sweep floors when he was 12 years old. In 1975, while still a senior at Widener University, he forged out on his own and opened his first Hill’s Quality Seafood Market in Media (named for his cousins), which moved to its current spot at the corner of Baltimore Avenue & Lemon Street in the early 1990s.
In 1980, Hill’s expanded to Newtown Square, originally located where Casey’s dining room stands today, and then later moved to the old Greenhill Diner where it still operates today with its recognizable marquee sign out front. In the late 90s, Bernie closed older locations in Devon and Frazer & purchased and renovated an old Sunoco station in Exton, which became the largest Hill’s to date. In 2013, Bernie transformed the old Wawa building at the corner of Baltimore Pike and Brinton Lake Road into the Glen Mills location.
Realizing the importance of controlling the supply chain and developing more significant relationships with fishermen and suppliers, Bernie took over the historic Liberty Fish Building in the Food Distribution Center in 1994 and opened Lawrence Street Seafood which is now the exclusive purveyor to our markets. With this unique relationship, Hill’s is able to accurately track and manage the seafood we sell from dock to dish.
As a family-owned business, we take great pride in making every meal memorable for our customers. Our in-house chefs prepare high quality, ready to eat salads, oven-ready classics, and house made soups and sauces. Our four markets in the Greater Philadelphia region carry an assortment of fresh fish, shellfish, and frozen seafood, as well as gourmet grocery items - from iconic local brands we love to imported specialties.
Bernie established a loyal customer base through superior service and product - two foundational values we still hold today. If it isn’t fresh, it doesn’t come through our doors. Bernie’s daughter, Alexandra, is following in his footsteps of maintaining the core values that built Hill’s Quality Seafood into the brand you know and love today.
Our Team
For over 45 years, Hill’s has fostered a family atmosphere across the entire company - and in fact, we have multiple members of several families who work with us. A special point of pride remains the longevity and loyalty of so many of our team members who come back year after year or that refer others to join the team. We value these expert fishmongers who enjoy sharing their knowledge and passion with our customers each and every day in our markets.
Daniel Carlin
Executive Store Director | Exton
Alexandra Grogan
President | CEO
Ryan Seaver
Assistant Manager | Exton
Chris Hill
Manager | Media
Tyren Carter
Assistant Manager | Media
Steve Mazzotta
Manager | Newtown Square
Brenden LeMere
Assistant Manager | Newtown Square
John Godson
Assistant Manager | Glen Mills
Sustainable Seafood
Through our procurement of the highest quality seafood available, Hill’s Quality Seafood Markets support healthy resources that practice responsible harvest and production methods. For both wild-caught and farm-raised seafood, we work closely with suppliers to promote healthy fish and shellfish populations and responsible harvesting practices, while minimizing environmental impacts on our ecosystems.
Sharing our expertise and encouraging our customers to support these fisheries empowers the consumer to make educated decisions when selecting their seafood - which allows for a more sustainable future for us and our partners.
Lawrence Street Seafood Partnership
In 1994, we opened Lawrence Street Seafood in the historic Liberty Fish building in South Philadelphia to serve as a natural extension of our business - to create a premium seafood wholesaler and distributor offering an expansive line of premium fresh and frozen seafood products. Our wholesale team at Lawrence Street ensures that our stores are supplied with the highest quality products available by forging relationships directly with fishermen and brokers both domestically and around the world.
They have grown to supply not only Hill’s fish markets, but restaurants and retailers nationwide and have established their own Seachest™ brand of crabmeat, lobster, PEI mussels and more. This unique partnerships allows us to maintain access to superior products at competitive prices and a wider selection of sustainably-caught and responsibly harvested fish and seafood with full transparency and traceability.
