OUR STORY

Coming from a large family of Greek immigrants, Sammy Graphos was a hard-working, dedicated man who loved to eat. He grew up in a Greek community in Birmingham, Alabama, called Norwood, where he was always getting into trouble alongside his identical twin, Jimmy. 

Sammy joined the Coast Guard during the Vietnam War, but quickly realized he might have been the only Greek to not be a natural sailor. After the war, Sam married the love of his life, Sue. The two would be married for 54 years, but, as Sue would say, affiliated for 59 years. They had two children, who you could always find helping out at the store while growing up.

Sammy and Jimmy both went into the restaurant business, helping open Sneaky Pete's before they would open Sam's Super Samwiches and Jimmy's Hotdogs and Burgers, respectively. When Sam struck out on his own and opened his hot dog store in 1970, he had no idea just how beloved it would become. The Homewood staple has stood the test of time for over fifty years, serving hot dogs, hamburgers, and breakfast samwiches to patrons of the community. Sam was always giving away free food to those in hard times, catering free of charge to numerous events hosted by the local elementary school, and he and his wife organized some of the highest grossing fundraisers for the Multiple Sclerosis Society to date.

The store was formerly located on historic 18th Street, in a small store commonly called a hallway because of its narrow and long shape. In 2021, Sam's announced its move to a new location one block away, where it can grow to become more of a true restaurant as opposed to a hole-in-the-wall. Sammy passed away in October of 2021 after living a long and purposeful life, leaving behind a tremendous legacy. Now, Sam's son Ted has taken over the business during its relocation, and he has two children of his own to pass the store onto someday.