53 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Not just hot dogs but virtually all meats bought at a grocery store or consumed in most restaurants.

[sdwright.vic]

This place has been around for close to two years...

[LJ]

I don't know, $1.50 for hot dog and pop at Costco is hard to beat.

[johnsonst]

I popped in here again over the weekend. Excellent value for what are very tasty hot dogs. It's hard to believe they are virtually all priced from $4-$6. I'll say this place is one of the best kept secrets in town given how few people realize it's there and the prices they charge.

 

I agree. I popped in this summer, expecting to see $8-$9 hot dogs on the menu. Not so much. Very tasty, too. 

[Mike K.]

I poked in today for a bite and found the eatery in an absolutely unkempt condition. Food all over the floor, garbage strewn about, meanwhile an employee was more concerned about filling a dog water bowl on the sidewalk than the cleanliness inside. When I brought it to the attention of an employee the response was "where?" I said everywhere.

Geez Louise.

[VicHockeyFan]

I poked in today for a bite and found the eatery in an absolutely unkempt condition. Food all over the floor, garbage strewn about, meanwhile an employee was more concerned about filling a dog water bowl on the sidewalk than the cleanliness inside. When I brought it to the attention of an employee the response was "where?" I said everywhere.

Geez Louise.

 

My exact experience last time I was there.  It was dirty, and the staff did not seem aware.

[Citified.ca]

Sam's Deli & Bistro has been operating out of the ground floor of the Belmont Building at Government and Humboldt streets since the early 1970's. After nearly 50 years in business, the eatery (and it's counterpart Dog-Gone-It) may close this fall.

 

Sam's Deli could close this fall after nearly 50-years in business
https://victoria.cit...rs-in-business/

[AllseeingEye]

Pretty much geared exclusively to tourists these days and the prices reflect that. I worked on a 6-month contact at 910 Government last year and popped in a couple of times; the fare was tasty but the sticker shock at the till was enough to dissuade me. For the money (actually significantly less) and as good if not better food the Broughton Street Cafe wins hands down......

[Sparky]

As much as I dislike correcting our fearless leader on the beginnings of Sam's deli, I would like to correct a tiny bit of info presented in his article.

 

Sam Bawlf was the original landlord but he did not open the deli and sell it to Bruce and Barbara Hausser. They opened the space from scratch.

 

Sam aquired possession of the entire building from our federal government and for the most part refurbished the building and rented most of it to our provincial government. Then there was the retail ground floor spaces that were leased to operators.

 

Bruce started his dream based on a crepe machine. Picture a really hot roller on a concentric that would rotate and gather up the "batter" for lack of a better word that would slowly rotate where the cooked crepe would then be separated from the roller by way of a fixed wire and would then land neatly on a plate where toppings and fillings were administered.

 

All this was necessary because the cost of installing an exhaust hood to the top of the roof line was too expensive. This form of cooking didn't require that.

 

But there was a catch. No hood....no liquor license. In those days if you didn't cook food on the premises you could not obtain a liquor license unless you were attached to a hotel.

 

Bruce and the Liquor Board exchanged words based on the definition of "cooked". The result was not good for Bruce and Barbara.

 

The current liquor license did not get issued until after Bruce and Barbara sold their interest many years later.

 

There must have been a note in the file.

[Mike K.]

Oh oh, does the Sam’s Deli website have it wrong?

“Located in the historic Belmont Building at 805 Government Street, Sam’s Deli was founded by Sam Bawlf in 1972 who at the time was a cabinet minister in the provincial government. In 1976, it was sold to Bruce and Barbara Housser who owned and operated it for 28 years.” - http://www.samsdeli.com/history

[Rob Randall]

Every news article and book I've seen is clear that Sam founded the deli in '72 and sold it to the Houssers in '76.

 

Perhaps they mean to say it was Sam's concept but the Houssers actually ran it and then bought it four years later.

[Coreyburger]

The current liquor license did not get issued until after Bruce and Barbara sold their interest many years later.

 

I was a night manager there ~2003/4 - was hired by Barb (she mostly ran it after Bruce had some health issues) and worked for a short time under Rogers. We definitely had a liquor license under the Houssers.

Edited by Coreyburger, 06 June 2018 - 09:24 AM.

[Sparky]

OK, item number 1. Don't believe anything I write here. My memory must be shot from all the fun I had in the late 60's.

 

I called Bruce and got it straight from him. Sam DID start the deli not Bruce. Sam didn't run it for very long. Sam also started Chauney's Restaurant. (that was his son's name) but he didn't run that very long either.

 

Bruce finally DID get a liquor license after apologizing for throwing the liquor inspector out of the shop.

 

Bruce still has the crepe machine.... but he needs some parts for it.

 

Geezuz!

[Rob Randall]

TC, 1995, implying the deli was founded in 1974 or 1975: 

 

For those who wonder, the 'Sam' in Sam's Deli is former cabinet minister Sam Bawlf, who owned the restaurant for a year before selling it to the Houssers for the price of the equipment in 1976.

 

 

Victoria News, 2007:

 

 The deli was founded by cabinet minister Sam Bawlf in 1972.

 

 

BC BookLook, 2016

 

Sam’s Deli in the Belmont Building at 805 Government Street in Victoria was founded by Sam Bawlf in 1972, the same year he became the youngest-ever alderman on Victoria’s City Council.

 

 

All accounts say Bawlf's reign as restaurateur was brief but four years is a long time in that biz. I don't know who to believe.