Whether they are selling clothes or shoes or food, a brand with a story, especially one as heartfelt as the Showmars one is bound to attract loyal customers.

This story reported in the Charlotte Observer, by a man who visited all the Showmars Restaurants with his son which focuses on the Showmars founder, George Couchell, is what we mean;

“When he was a kid, his immigrant family ran Johnny’s Grill, which used to be at Wendover and Monroe. His brother was the manager, at age 16. His parents, who didn’t speak English, worked in the kitchen. Couchell, 12, worked as a car hop, hustling burgers out to customers.

His brother joined the Army and Couchell went off to college. When his father landed in the hospital, his mum was left running the place all by herself. She was quickly overwhelmed. “We were going to lose the business,” Couchell says.

But word got out, around the neighborhood: That Greek family is in trouble. Suddenly, customers poured in. Many helped out around the place.

“That’s why we’re a family restaurant,” he says. “Because, when we were in trouble, they saved us. The other families.”

Obviously, even going by that story alone, it is easy to see that Showmars has been around for quite a while. The first Showmars Restaurant opened on Independence Boulevard near Idlewild Road in 1982.

The restaurant chain grew as the city grew and soon enough there were both quaint Showmars diners in the older parts of Charlotte and the big sprawling restaurants in faster-paced areas.

The restaurant’s service website publishes their story as a blend of a fast-food and full-service restaurant. According to them, the Showmars’ founder, George Couchell, immigrated to the US from Greece as a young boy and grew up working in his family’s restaurant.

He graduated from Duke University after which he served as a Naval Officer before finally deciding to follow his dream of opening a restaurant that was truly unique to the Queen City.

At Showmars, customers order and pay for their food at the counter and then a friendly wait staff serves them at the table. The restaurant has a strong reputation for having cheap food options that are still quality which means that they are of great value. Their customer service is also known to be superb and matched with a comfortable atmosphere, Showmars is a pretty great place to dine.

The Showmars Menu

We know you came here to learn about food so let’s get right to it! The Showmars menu features “a diverse mix of Greek, Southern and American dishes with signature items including gyros, souvlaki, pita burgers, fresh salads and the World’s Best Fresh Fish Fillet Sandwich.”

Let us break that down a bit.

Fresh Salads

• Greek Salad: Fresh romaine, iceberg and spring lettuce mix topped with kalamata olives, feta cheese, pepperoncini, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers & red onions.
• Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken or Gyro: Grilled, marinated chicken or gyro on a fresh romaine, iceberg and spring lettuce mix topped with kalamata olives, feta cheese, pepperoncini sliced tomatoes, cucumbers & red onions.
• Grilled Chicken Chef Salad: Grilled chicken on a fresh romaine, iceberg and spring lettuce mix topped with sliced tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, cucumbers, cheddar cheese & red onions.
• Avocado Chicken Cobb: Fresh romaine, iceberg and spring lettuce mix topped with avocado spread, black bean & corn, cheddar cheese & served with a homemade spicy ranch.
• Crispy Chicken BLT: Southern-fried chicken tenders on a fresh romaine, iceberg and spring lettuce mix topped with hard boiled egg, bacon, cheddar cheese & home-style ranch.
• Caesar Salad: Fresh romaine topped with parmesan cheese, croutons & served with caesar dressing. ADD CHICKEN OR SALMON.
• Mediterranean Hummus Salad: Traditional hummus on a fresh romaine, iceberg, spring lettuce mix served with kalamata olives, pepperoncini, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions & served with pita points. ADD CHICKEN, BLACK BEAN PATTY OR SALMON.
• Homemade Chicken Salad Scoop with Fresh Fruit: A scoop of homemade chicken salad on a bed of romaine served with fresh fruit.

Soups

• Cactus Chili
• Broccoli & Cheese
• Tomato Bisque
• Chicken & Wild Rice
• Chicken Dumpling
• Chicken White Bean Chili
• Baked Potato with Bacon

Pita Sandwiches

• Classic Chicken Pita: Grilled, marinated chicken breast in a pita with lettuce, tomato and our tzatziki pita sauce.
• Santorini Chicken Pita: Grilled, marinated chicken breast in a pita with grilled peppers and onions and our tzatziki pita sauce.
• California Chicken Pita: Grilled, marinated chicken breast with sharp cheddar cheese, avocado spread, lettuce, tomato, onion & Mediterranean aioli.
• Fiery Feta Chicken Pita: Grilled, marinated chicken breast with signature fiery feta cheese spread, sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce & our tzatziki pita sauce.
• Gyro Pita: Seasoned rotisserie gyro with tomato, onions and our tzatziki pita sauce.
• Souvlaki Pita: Marinated pork tenderloin with lettuce, tomato, red onion & our tzatziki pita sauce.
• Greek Veggie Pita: Fresh romaine lettuce, tomatoes, kalamata olives, cucumbers, feta cheese, onions, pepperoncini, our tzatziki pita sauce & a side of greek dressing.
• Folly Beach Shrimp Pita: Our world famous calabash shrimp with housemade tartar sauce & shredded romaine lettuce.
• Homemade Chicken Salad Pita: Homemade chicken salad in a pita with lettuce and tomato.

Pita Burgers

• All-American Pita Burger™: Two fresh – never frozen – beef patties in a pita with American cheese, lettuce, tomato & mayo.
• Original Pita Burger™: Two fresh – never frozen – beef patties in a pita with American cheese, lettuce, onions & our tzatziki pita sauce.
• Old-Fashioned Chilli Pita Burger™: Two fresh – never frozen – beef patties in a pita with American cheese, mustard, homemade slaw, chilli & onions.
• California Pita Burger: Two fresh – never frozen – beef patties in a pita with sharp cheddar cheese, avocado spread, lettuce, tomato, onion & Mediterranean aioli.
• Fiery Feta Pita Burger: Two fresh – never frozen – beef patties with signature fiery feta cheese spread, sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce & pita sauce.
• Mushroom & Cheddar: Two fresh – never frozen – beef patties with sharp cheddar cheese, grilled onions, grilled portobello mushroom slices & mayo.

Original Platters

• World’s Best Flounder: World’s best-fried fish fillet with homemade tartar sauce served with coleslaw, french fries & hushpuppies. 2 pieces OR 3 pieces.
• Calabash Shrimp: Fried bite-sized shrimp served with cole slaw, french fries, hushpuppies & your choice of housemade tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.
• Flounder and Shrimp Combo: World’s best-fried fish fillet and Calabash shrimp served with cole slaw, french fries, hushpuppies & your choice of housemade tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.
• Alaskan Fish: Wild-caught, sustainable Alaskan fish fillets with cole slaw, french fries, hushpuppies & housemade tartar sauce.
• Southern Chicken Tenders: Fried, boneless chicken tenders with cole slaw, french fries, hushpuppies & your choice of BBQ or honey mustard dipping sauce.
• Chicken Mac & Cheese: Grilled chicken with white cheddar mac & cheese topped with bacon.
• Gyro Platter: Seasoned rotisserie gyro piled high and served with a Greek salad, french fries, & pita with our tzatziki pita sauce.
• Chicken Santorini Platter: Grilled, marinated chicken breast with grilled peppers and onions served on a bed of rice pilaf with side salad & pita with our tzatziki pita sauce.
• Tenderloin Tips: Marinated pork tenderloin with grilled peppers and onions, served on a bed of rice pilaf, with side salad & pita with our tzatziki pita sauce.
• Mediterranean Grilled Veggie: Grilled portobello mushroom slices, peppers and onions, served on a bed of rice pilaf, with side salad & pita with our tzatziki pita sauce.
• Grilled Salmon: Wild-caught sustainable salmon, served on rice pilaf with side salad & pita with our tzatziki pita sauce.

Showburgers

• Classic Burgers Single, Double & Triple: Fresh – never frozen – beef patties on a soft brioche bun with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo & mustard.
• Old-Fashioned Chilli Cheeseburger: Fresh – never frozen – beef patties on a soft brioche bun with American cheese, mustard, homemade slaw, chilli & onion.
• Bacon & Cheddar Burger: Fresh – never frozen – beef patties on a soft brioche bun with sharp cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo.

Awesome Classics

• World Famous Fish Sandwich: World’s best-fried fish fillet with housemade tartar sauce.
• Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burger: Black bean and sweet potato burger with avocado spread, lettuce, tomato, onion and Mediterranean aioli.
• Carolina BBQ Sandwich: North Carolina pulled pork barbeque on a brioche bun topped with coleslaw.
• Old-Fashioned Hot Dog: All beef hot dog on a bun with mustard, slaw, chilli & onions.

Kids Menu

• Chicken Tenders
• Grilled Chicken Tenders
• Popcorn Shrimp
• Gyro Slices
• Hamburger
• Hot Dog
• Grilled Cheese Pita
• Mac & Cheese

Sides

• Black Bean & Corn Salad
• Cole Slaw
• Mac & Cheese
• Side Caesar Salad
• French Fries
• Baked Potato
• Fruit Cup
• Side Salad
• Mediterranean Pasta salad
• Side Greek Salad
• Onion Rings
• Rice Pilaf
• Mixed Vegetables
• Cup of Soup

Desserts

• Milkshakes: Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Oreo® or Reese’s.
• Baklava: Classic Greek pastry made with layers of phyllo, honey & nuts.
• Cheesecake
• Chocolate Pie
• Carrot Cake
• Cookies
• Brownie

How to find the nearest Showmars location

To find the nearest Showmars Restaurant, you only need to go to their website, click on the section – Find Your Showmars- and enter your own location and how far you want to travel; 10 miles, 50 miles or even 100 miles.