| Eateries |
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| BIG BOY |
| Bob's Big Boy Burbank, CA |
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Bob's Big Boy started as Bob's Pantry in 1936 when founder Bob Wian bought a local Glendale restaurant. Wian developed a double-decker hamburger (Bob's was the first) and the Big Boy icon. Bob's became a California chain and began franchising in the 1940s. Unlike chains like McDonald's, Wian did not require uniformity and franchise owners were free to name their restaurants whatever they wanted.
The Elias brothers had their own restaurants before becoming a Big Boy franchisee in 1952. They kept the Elias name adding the Big Boy character and "Home of the Big Boy" to their signage and advertising. In 1987, they acquired the Big Boy chain's franchise rights from Marriott Corp. Bob's Big Boy, now Michigan-based, has about 450 restaurants in CA, AZ, HI, ND, IL, MI, OH and NC. The Burbank Bob's was built in 1949 and is the oldest restaurant left in the chain. It was saved in the early 1990s and restored to its original form. It is now the top revenue-producing Big Boy in the country. For more about Big Boys, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. |
| Elias Big Boy (gone?) Sault Ste. Marie, MI |
Frisch's Big Boy Columbus, OH |
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Frisch's began in Cincinnati in 1923. Dave Frisch ran into Bob Wian around 1949 and arranged a franchise. The Frisch's Big Boy used tartar sauce rather than 1,000 Island dressing. Frisch's bought the rights to the Big Boy name in late 2000 after the Elias Bros. bankruptcy.
The Columbus Frisch's location on Route 40 was built in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The sign is original but the building has been remodeled to look retro. This photo shows a Frisch's (most likely gone or remodeled) in Columbus, IN. There are 88 company-owned Frisch's and 26 franchise units (all using the Frisch's Big Boy name). They are located in OH (Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus), IN (Indianapolis), and KY (Louisville, Lexington). For more about Frisch's, see this website. |
| Hi-Boy Sandwich Shop Lyndonville, VT |
Dari Joy Bellows Falls, VT |
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The Hi-Boy Sandwich Shop has a Big Boy statue on the roof, altered to hold a plate with a sandwich. There are three Hi-Boy Drive-ins in Independence, MO using Big Boy images. I don't know if this place is related or just coincidence. For more, see this website.
Dari Joy has been serving ice cream here since 1952. They have had the Big Boy (nicknamed "Big Joy Boy"), altered to wave, on the roof since the 1960s. I believe he gets put in storage for winter. For more, see this website. [photo at right thanks DinerFan] |
| Bob's Big Boy Hesperia, CA |
Bob's Big Boy St. Louis, MO |
Kennedy's Cakes and Donuts Cambridge, OH |
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This Bob's Big Boy (#188) opened in 1982, closed in 2001, and reopened in 2003. [photo thanks Glenda Campbell]
This St. Louis Big Boy is at the City Museum. For more, see their website. [photo thanks Glenda Campbell] Kennedy's Cakes and Donuts has a repainted Bob's Big Boy statue next to their building. His hamburger leaned against the side of the building when I was there. I don't know if it is being repaired or if they are preparing to put something more appropriate atop his hand. The classic Big Boy statue is 10' tall and holds a 40" hamburger. |
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More Big Boy statues
Willimantic, CT St. Ignace, MI |
| Big Boy Plymouth Road Livonia, MI |
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| Big Boy Farmington Road Livonia, MI |
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| Big Boy Ann Arbor, MI |
Big Boy Pittsfield Township, MI |
Big Boy Chesterfield, MI |
Big Boy Milan, MI |
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There are still lots of old Big Boy restaurants in Michigan and they are still being built.
This Plymouth Road location features a nice revolving Big Boy statue atop their old sign. The Big Boy in front of the restaurant holds his suspenders instead of a burger. This Farmington Road location features an original building with stonework, Big Boy's unique mid-century roof, and a fairly intact interior. These Ann Arbor and Pittsfield Township locations feature Big Boys in front of their restaurants. The Pittsfield Township location was built in 2005. The Chesterfield Big Boy is mounted above the sign and rotates. The Milan Big Boy statue has been here since at least the 1980s. [bottom row photos, thanks Mark Comstock] |
| former Beehive Family Dining Wayne, MI |
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| The Beehive Family Dining restaurant occupied a former Bob's Big Boy (note the roof and stonework). I have not seen a cheese-hole Bob's Big Boy sign before so I don't know if this is original. The interior was gutted and the building was being converted into "Hypnotic" (a nightclub?) when I was there in 2005. However, it seems that never happened and the building is still vacant as of 2008. The Beehive seems to have/had two other locations (another one in Wayne and one in Flat Rock) but I don't believe they occupied former Bob's Big Boys. |
| Coco's Restaurant & Bakery Garden Grove, CA |
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| Coco's Restaurant & Bakery occupies a former Big Boy's restaurant. This Armet & Davis design (now remodeled) is from 1958. For more, see this website. |
| Chapel of Love Las Vegas, NV |
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| The Chapel of Love occupies another former Bob's Big Boy restaurant. Does anyone know more when the Bob's opened/closed and the Chapel took over the building? |
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