By Barry Smail
Novato Historical Guild
Sam and Milia Jarjoura, emigres from Lebanon and owners of Sam’s Place in the Nave Shopping Center, have created a community of loyal diners over the years. During Covid-19, that community stepped up big-time to help the restaurant stay afloat.
“We knew we had loyal customers and were inspired by them,” declared Sam.
“There were a couple of times last spring we thought that we might have to go out of business. Our take-out was about one-quarter of what we were doing before the shutdown,” Sam recounts. “We had to furlough all of our employees. It was just Milia and me holding down the fort.”
Anthony, their youngest son, helped with the dishes. “We worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week. That was the only way we could survive,” Milia said. “We managed to keep it together until June, when they allowed outdoor dining,” Sam added.
Lisa Holmes, one of Sam’s waitresses, said that “Sam and Milia worked so hard to get us back to working as soon as possible. I’ve been a waitress for 31 years; they’re the best employers I have ever had. They’re just good people.”
During the take-out-only period, a few of his most loyal customers unexpectedly stepped up in a big way. One left $300 when paying for his take-out meal. “I ran after him and said you made a mistake, you gave us too much money. He said ‘no, I want to support you guys,’” Sam said.
“Three others opened their checkbooks and asked me to write in a number,” Sam continued.
“They said it’s a gift, not a loan. They didn’t want to see me go under. They did this out of the goodness of their hearts.”
Customers supported Sam and Milia in other ways. Prior to the lockdown, Sam’s catered the Novato Rotary’s Friday meeting lunches at the Margaret Todd Center. When their meetings became virtual ones, Rotary members came to Sam’s on Fridays to pick up their lunches.
Sam grew up in southern Lebanon, one of eight children raised by Maronite Christian parents.
In 1976, he emigrated to the U.S. and joined his brother, who lived in Oxford, Mississippi. He enrolled in the University of Mississippi and got a BA in business administration. In 1981, he relocated to Daly City, where his sister resided. Sam aimed to get a MA, but couldn’t afford tuition. He took a job at a local McDonald’s. After a few months, he was hired to be a night dishwasher at Zim’s Restaurant on 19th Ave. in San Francisco. By 1985, he was their payroll manager.
In 1992, during a lull in Lebanon’s civil war, Sam, his father and a brother returned to see what had happened to their hometown of Derbelsem. They found it destroyed. Later that year, after returning to the Bay Area, he was hired as manager of Denny’s Restaurant in the Serramonte Shopping Center.
Sam purchased Henry’s Burgers in Novato Square in 1994 and ran that establishment for 12 years. In 1995, Sam returned to Lebanon to visit family and friends. That’s when he met Milia. After returning to the Bay Area, Sam worked on Milia’s emigration paperwork. Milia waited in Lebanon. Shortly after she arrived in Daly City, they got married.
Milia spoke Arabic and French, but no English. She was determined to learn. Initially, Milia was a stay-at-home Mom and raised three kids–Henry, Dany and Anthony. As her kids went through grade school, Milia actively participated in their homework, which helped her learn the language.
When it came time for Milia to take the written test for a driver’s license, she was offered the option of taking it in Arabic. Milia insisted on taking the test in English. “None of the street signs is in Arabic; why would I want to take the test in any language other than English,” she recalls thinking.
In 1998, the Jarjoura family moved to Novato. Two of his brothers and a sister followed suit.
“We have a big family; there were eight kids,” Sam said. Two brothers live in Mississippi. Another brother resides in Austin, Texas. Sam’s oldest sister lives in Lebanon.
In 2007, Sam and Milia sold Henry’s and purchased the Hof Brau Restaurant in the Nave Shopping Center. They turned it into Sam’s Place. (Prior to Hof Brau, the tenant was First Interstate Bank. The “I” is still emblazoned on the front door’s handles.)
“In America, we had an opportunity to make something of our lives; there was no future in our native land,” Milia said. The future looks bright for their three sons, Henry, Danny and Anthony. Henry graduated this year from UC Davis with a Masters in accounting. Danny is a senior at Sacramento State, majoring in business management. Anthony is a senior at San Marin High School. He wants to become a mechanical engineer. “I am so proud of them,” Sam declared.
The restaurant’s web site says “Our mission is to build community. We promise our restaurant will always be a wonderful place to come for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” Based on the outpouring of support Sam and Milia received during Covid-19, their mission has been accomplished.
(Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of how people are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone interested in documenting and sharing their experiences is invited to make a submittal to the Novato Historical Guild: info@novatohistory.org.)
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