Sam’s Hot Dog Stand

Stopped in on our drive north. Quick and friendly service. The hot dig was average, nothing special. The BBQ sandwich was average as well. The mac’n’cheese was just plain terrible-​even my child wouldn’t touch it. The lemonade was the best thing we had. If you want a quick inexpensive lunch, this isn’t a bad option, but nothing stellar.

I’ll start off by saying I don’t like hot dogs. I was starving and was running a ton of errands and I hate your typical fast food chains so I decided to try it. I was really impressed that I actually like the hot dogs! I got mine with chili, mustard, and onions with chips for $ 5! The buns were nice and gooey melt in your mouth without falling apart, the all beef hot dog was yummy, and the mild chili made the whole thing great. Very friendly and super fast service. Simple menu but delicious

I’m not the world’s biggest hot dog fan, but I tell you what: I really like the dogs they serve here. I mean, really. Like, I’d come back here even if it meant driving up from Richmond, just to eat here. I had the WV slaw dog combo: hot dog, chili, slaw and (in my case) cheese with chips and a soda. Magnifique! Staff are smart and friendly and substitutions are welcome.

Good fast friendly place to cure your hangover. Good fried pickles and chili cheese dogs and fried cheese sticks hit the spot.

Great place to come and get a quick bite to eat! Super friendly and great service! Food is cheap and delicious!
Slaw dog with spicy chili — veryyyyy good! The combination goes extremely well together. Has the perfect kick. Wish I had got two!
Fried pickles — perfect! Cripy on the outside and juicy on the inside!
Would definitely come here again!

Just passing thru Staunton on our way south and saw their sign declaring the «Best Dogs in Town». Decided to stop and had to try their WV Slaw Dogs with frys. Everything on the dog is made in house and was a tasty. Would stop again.

Don’t live here, but when in town Sam’s is a MUST! Love the Spicy WV Slaw Dogs!
The new fries are an awesome addition.
Plus, the CUSTOMER SERVICE HERE IS TOP NOTCH!!! These guys really go out of their way make sure you feel welcome and taken care of! I like to order a 6 pack to take home, but live almost 2 hrs away. They have no problem packing my dogs up with separate containers of chili/​onions/​slaw, so I can assemble at home and avoid soggy dogs!!!
So delicious, SO FRIENDLY!!! You can’t go wrong here!!!

I traveled to the area for a conference. My wife got to travel with me. We like to find the places local people like to eat. We came upon this little treasure. We both love hotdogs and couldn’t resist. The hotdogs are great. There is a large variety of options for toppings. The prices, though… the prices are more than reasonable… 1 hot dog with any and all toppings is less than $ 2. The service was above and beyond. The two working the day we visited accommodated every request and apologized if anything took longer than 5 minutes. This was an all around great experience.

My fiancé and I were on a long trip from Georgia to New York and we aren’t ones to eat McDonalds even on big trips. We wanted something cheap, quick, around 64 and 81, and locally loved and this Sam’s was just the place.
First the prices were great. For five bucks each, we got our own two hot dogs, a bag of chips and a sweet tea. This is unheard of in Atlanta. We even ended up buying a fifth one once we were finished and he then gave us a sixth for free because for every five you buy, you get another. I was just pleasantly surprised he did that for us even though it was a separate transaction and we didn’t even ask about it.
Simple but perfect hot dogs; I tried their special (without mustard, not my cup of tea) and it was delicious. The slaw added just the right amount of crunch, tang, and sweetness. The tea was good and he even made sure we filled up our cups before we hit the road again.
Last but not least, this guy. I think he was the owner; he was so kind and excited that we found the place on Unilocal.He explained how local business was really strong, which was evident by the heavy traffic at the drive through each order a dozen or more hot dogs at a time, but that he wanted more of us travelers to stop by. He and the girl at the counter first greeted me outside, offering my nervous pup and I a couple of dog treats. The both of them were good company and we felt at home and comfortable. He even went out of his way to find a bowl to fill with water for our dog to drink.
All in all, it was the perfect place to stop. We left with our bellies full, well rested, and we felt like we even made a couple friends all under budget and not even three minutes off the exit. The only disappointment is that we can’t go there at home. Next time we make the trip though, we know exactly where to stop for a bite to eat.

You know those little places you come across while traveling — quite by accident, usually — and end up remembering them more fondly than the expensive joints you made a point to visit? Sam’s Hot Dog is one of those places.
It was raining like crazy when we stopped in — I had Unilocaled for a local place to eat a quick bite that wasn’t far off I-​81 — and I was immediately delighted when we stepped inside this tiny little place and were greeted in such a warm and friendly manner. I was becoming grumpy pretty fast because my carefully flat-​ironed hair was beginning to resemble a Foxy Brown ‘fro due to the pouring rain. That melted away when we came inside. Not just a «hi, welcome» greeting but more like walking in to the living room of a neighbor.
I ordered a West Virginia Special — a dog with chili (mild or spicy, I chose the mild), onions, mustard, and slaw. I hadn’t eaten a hot dog in decades and wow, you know what? It was great! The gentleman (owner?) behind the counter told me it was low-​sodium, all beef, etc etc. All I knew was it was great and I was sorry I couldn’t eat another one! Philip had a couple of plain dogs (he never has condiments on burgers, either) and was just as happy.
So good food, some pleasant banter about travel and the Atlanta Braves (a younger gentleman behind the counter had a Braves tattoo, that sparked the conversation) and so on, and we were happy and ready to hit the road again.
I think that’s the key — we felt better after we left than when we went in. I don’t mean just food/​hunger wise, but we felt… happy. Actually, Philip and I agreed later that it was probably our favorite meal of our entire week-​long trip, and we had eaten in a variety of places from Georgia to Pennsylvania, from fast food to a $ 150 steak dinner. I mean, come on — lunch for two of dogs, a side, and two drinks was less than ten bucks!
I wish this place was near enough to make a mini-​road trip out of it, I’d love to try their barbecue!

Visiting the Shenandoah Valley from Vermont. Couldn’t talk the kids into a more obvious foodie choice so we landed here. There are certain things in life that shouldn’t be so good, hot dogs among them. The WV slaw dog with spicy chili was ridiculously tasty — started with one and ended up ordering two more rounds. The owner is also crazy friendly — stop in for a slice of real Americana!

Wife and I stopped in after 300 miles on 81.
The food was quick and inexpensive.
If I ever see another Sam’s from this chain I’ll stop in again!

A great place to stop if you happen to be on this stretch of 81 (and why else would you be here, no offense). It’s right next to the highway, the hot dogs are cheap, and toppings were free (including the chili). Two dogs cost me 3.05.

This is a chain out of Huntington, West Virginia with about 40 locations, specializing in serving the classic West Virginia slaw dog. There is as much disagreement about what is the perfect WV slaw dog, and who makes it, as there is about the best BBQ in NC, and who serves it.
These folks serve a very limited menu — hot dogs with either mild or hot chili (I’d go with hot) with topping of ketchup (I know, I know), mustard, onion, and coleslaw; BBQ (I’d skip this — never order seafood in a steak restaurant rule); potato chips; sodas; milkshakes; and at some locations, spaghetti, with their chili as sauce (I’d go with the hot). That is their entire menu.
The key to the WV dog is the slaw — it must be creamy, with fresh cabbage chopped medium, a little salt, and that’s about it. The wiener must be of decent quality, and the bun soft to the point of gooey. Some folks put both onions and slaw (the purists believe they will go to hell for this) on their dog.
These folks make a very good hot dog, chain or not. The closest one to Greensboro is in Salem, VA, and another in Waynesboro, VA. The stand in Staunton is strictly drive thru, Waynesboro has a small amount of seating, no drive thru.