Almost as soon as it opened on Valentine's Day, 1959 on A1A in Pompano Beach, Harris Imperial House restaurant became the meeting place for community organizations as well as for social and family gatherings. More than once, the 700-seat restaurant was referred to as the "unofficial city hall."

The owner and public face of the restaurant was George M. Harris. He was the son of a Greek immigrant who arrived with his brother in the United States as 12-year-old who knew not a word of English. After years of hard work (and changing his name from Stamatis Hourdakis to Sam Harris), he got into the restaurant business in Aurora, Illinois.

In 1943 Sam Harris moved his family to Fort Lauderdale and opened the Seahorse Restaurant on Las Olas Boulevard. Sam's son, George, began working in the family restaurant business following his return from service in the Army Air Corps. The Harris family opened other Fort Lauderdale dining establishments, including the Town House and the Bahia Mar restaurants.

For over four decades the Imperial House restaurant and George Harris were fixtures in Pompano Beach. Mr. Harris was an active member of the community, and served as president of the Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce, on the board of directors for the United Way and as a member of the Broward County Tourist Development Council. In 1985 he was named "Restaurateur of the Year" by the Florida Restaurant Association.