George Stamouvlasis (Stamos) of Capitol Burgers
- Details
- Category: In Memory Of
- Published on Thursday, 19 September 2013 16:32
- Written by Dawn Kirkpatrick
On July 30th George Stamouvlasis (Stamos) the owner of Capitol Burgers, passed away. Capitol, located at the corner of Pico Blvd. and South Victoria Ave., has been a neighborhood staple for nearly 50 years serving up some of the best hamburgers and pastrami sandwiches in Los Angeles. Customers sang the praises of Capitol Burgers pastrami sandwiches, with some claiming they were even better than the burgers. This year L.A. Weekly rated the stand #1 out of the five best burger stands in Los Angeles.
Stamouvlasis opened Capitol Burgers in 1965 after immigrating to the United States from Greece. George will not only be remembered for his great food but also for his service to the community. He cared deeply about people and was one-of-a-kind. His son John Stamos (who continues to run Capitol Burgers) said his dad sponsored neighborhood t-ball and little league teams. Players from years ago can’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”
As his friend Victor Flores wrote in an email to TNN, he was “the American dream Greek immigrant who gave back to the community yet never wanted credit for it.”
Top Photo Courtesy of BC/Automatic Hot Links
Bottom Photo by D.V. Lawerence