Rome restaurant honors veterans year-round

ROME, Ga. - It’s a can’t-miss restaurant in Rome, with an airplane on the roof and a "flying" VW Bus hoisted in the air out front.  But it’s what lines the walls inside that will stick with you long after you finish your meal.

We spent our Veterans Day morning at Sam’s Burger-Deli in Rome, which is billed as the “Home of the Semi-Famous, Award-Winning Samburger.”  The Sam of the restaurant’s name is Sam Edwards, who is a veteran himself and honors his fellow service members by taking their pictures and hanging them inside the restaurant.  We first heard about Sam’s Burger-Deli thanks to one of our Good Day Atlanta viewers, who wrote, “A veteran can come in, tell a worker they are a veteran, have their picture made, and often it’s on the wall before their meal is finished. This is a huge tribute to our veterans.”    

Of course, the most important element at any restaurant is the food – and there’s plenty to choose from at Sam’s.  The menu includes appetizers like Sam’s Nirvana Tater Tots (which covers the tots with five cheeses…and a grilled and chopped quarter-pound burger!) and Sam’s Rattlesnake Sidewinder Fries (beer-battered, of course).  The Samburger comes as a quarter-pounder or a half-pounder, and is served on a potato bun with all the fixings – including a secret blend of herbs and spices.  And we didn’t even get to the Samburger Philly yet; let’s just say that one requires a very big appetite!  

Sam’s Burger-Deli is located at 3268 Martha Berry Highway in Rome, and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays and Sundays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays.   

We couldn’t wait to check out Sam’s Burger-Deli, and Veterans Day seemed like the perfect time to make the trip to Rome.  Click the video player to watch our morning at this local favorite.