GOODBYE CAPITOL BURGERS YOU WILL BE MISSED

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Category: Community News

Published on Friday, 15 February 2019 00:04

Written by Dawn Kirkpatrick

Capitol Burgers located at the corner of Pico Blvd. and South Victoria Ave., just west of Crenshaw, had been a neighborhood staple for over 50 years until closing their doors this winter. They served up some of the best hamburgers and pastrami sandwiches in Los Angeles and L.A. Weekly rated the stand #1 out of the five best burger stands in Los Angeles in 2013. Customers sang the praises of their stacked pastrami sandwiches, abundant old-school, hand cut, skin-on french fries and all-the-works burgers.

George Stamouvlasis (Stamos), who passed away July 13, 2013, opened Capitol Burgers in 1965 after immigrating to the United States from Greece. George was remembered not only for his great food but also for his unselfish service to the community.  He cared deeply about people and was one-of-a-kind. His son John Stamos, who continued to run Capitol Burgers until the doors closed, said his dad sponsored neighborhood T-ball and Little League teams.  Players from years ago couldn't remember their coaches names but they remembered George bringing hamburgers and sodas to every game.

Stamouvlasis’ work ethic was an inspiration to others, claimed his son. He got up at 4 a.m. seven days a week and even when John came to work with him, Stamouvlasis’ didn’t slow down.

“He did a lot,” John said. “He had empathy for people and even counseled them when they were having a hard time. He would do things like give people food and not charge them for it if they couldn’t afford to pay.  When people would try to pay him back, he would refuse their money because he knew what it meant to struggle with hunger and starvation. He gave them back their dignity.”

His son John (pictured on the left) continued the "affection for the community" tradition and The Neighborhood News always looked forward to dropping off the paper and having a hearty 'two small businesses in CD 10" chat. Johnny and Capitol will be sorely missed.