• *Sam’s first “original” Italian sandwiches were made with salami; now, ham is the most popular order.
  • *The first pizzas, which originated in Naples, Italy, were only dough and tomato sauce, no cheese.
  • *Sam’s is no different from the rest of the country with pepperoni being the most popular pizza topping and anchovy being the least popular.
  • *At Sam’s only real cheese is used; no cheese food and no cheese product.
  • *Americans eat 100 acres of pizza per day equaling 350 slices of pizza per second.
  • *Sam’s has employed students from at least 14 area high schools.
  • *The biggest delivery day for pizza was when OJ Simpson had his famous chase in the Ford Bronco.
  • *Sam’s is only closed two days per year: Thanksgiving and Christmas.
  • *Although pizza was popularized by numerous Italian settlers, it was the return of hungry WWII soldiers from the European fronts which brought the sudden boom of interest. Many soldiers even used their newly-found passion to find themselves work, opening pizza shops.
  • *Each fall, through customer donations, all 13 Sam’s locations have helped in fundraising efforts to help end hunger in Maine.
  • *With the troops in mind, Sam’s has sent care packages to Forward Operating Bases every year since the Gulf War.
  • *93 percent of Americans eat at least one pizza a month.
  • *The average manager among all 13 shops has at least 15 years of employment with the company.
  • *According to Guinness World Records, the record for the world’s largest circular pizza was set at Norwood Hypermarket in South Africa in 1990. The pie measured over 122 feet across, weighed almost 27,000 pounds, and contained 3,968 pounds of cheese, and 1,984 pounds of sauce. In 2005, the record for the world’s largest rectangular pizza was set in Iowa Falls, Iowa. A team of 200 created the 129-by-98.6-foot pizza from 4,000 pounds of cheese and 700 pounds sauce. The enormous pie was enough to feed the town’s 5,200 residents 10 slices of pizza each.
  • *Wednesday has been “spaghetti day” at Sam’s for over 40 years.
  • *It’s only right to celebrate Sam’s 75th anniversary this month, since October is National Pizza month.

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under:
sam's italian foods
Related Stories
Latest Articles