FAIRFIELD
PROFILE SAM’S ORIGINAL RESTAURANT
STORY AND PHOTO BY MEGAN HEMPEL
The Original
Sam’s Original Restaurant a cherished tradition in Fairfield
T
ravelers and locals agree,
stopping in at Sam’s Original
Restaurant is a cherished
tradition. Whether you’re traveling
Interstate 45 or Highway 84, Sam’s is
a favorite stop for barbecue and other
Southern delights, nestled between
Dallas and Houston in beautiful small
town Fairfield.
Sam’s has long been a waypoint
for travelers, and continues to gain
notoriety through word of mouth,
celebrity visits, and travel websites.
The restaurant is known for its
large, all you can eat buffet, which
features breakfast, lunch, and dinner
favorites and daily specials like their
famous, pit cooked, hickory smoked
barbecue, fried chicken, and all the
fixings. Like the saying goes, “If you
leave hungry, it’s your fault.”
If you like pie, a visit to Sam’s is
a must. Years of work have gone into
perfecting Sam’s famous homemade
pies, delicious Southern staples like
chocolate cream, topped with its
signature mile-high meringue, seasonal
treats like peach and apple crumb, and
much more.
Sam’s hamburgers are legendary,
another recipe perfected over time.
Local tip: pair your burger with a plate
(more like a tower) of onion rings. You
won’t be disappointed.
The history of Sam’s Restaurant
easily explains why the restaurant is a
time honored tradition.
Samuel “Sammy” Daniel quit
school in the eighth grade and opened
14
T H E T E X A S F O O D IE
“If you leave hungry, it’s your fault.”
his own hamburger stand, where “Sam
Burgers” began to rise in popularity.
During the ‘30s and ‘40s, he owned
several other eating places, including
a popcorn and a hot dog stand on the
courthouse square in Fairfield.
Sammy married Doris Childs In
1944 and the couple opened a small
barbecue stand on the south side of
town on Highway 75 nine years later.
It was this small barbecue stand,
with its sawdust floors, old school
desks for tables and surplus army
tin trays for plates, where Sammy
perfected his barbecue sauce recipe.
Doris was busy as well, developing her
skills baking the homemade pies and
desserts that everyone still loves today.
After spending some time away
from Fairfield, Sammy and Doris
returned and opened another
restaurant south of town. It was here
where they first started baking the
now famous homemade bread, which
is still served with every meal at Sam’s.
Sammy passed away on June 15,
1967. His oldest son, Gilbert “Ponte”
Daniel, took over the business
during his father’s illness. Always
a family business, Gilbert worked
for his father since the age of nine,
starting with bussing tables. Doris
continued working and baking pies
for 34 years before finally retiring in
2001. She passed away March 9, 2006.
The Daniel family still operates the
restaurant today.
Next time you’re traveling
through, enjoy a meal at Sam’s and
walk off your meal in the restaurant’s
impressive gift shop.
Sam’s Original Restaurant is
located at 390 E. I-45 in Fairfield, just
off exit 197.