Big Boy Restaurants
Big Boy Restaurant Group, LLC, doing business as Big Boy, is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Southfield, Michigan.[7] The Big Boy name, design aesthetic, and menu were previously licensed to a number of regional franchisees.
This article is about the overall restaurant chain. For the original California restaurant chain, see Bob's Big Boy. For the Ohio-based regional restaurant chain, see Frisch's Big Boy.Big Boy, Big Boy Restaurants
Big Boy Restaurants International, LLC
Bob's Pantry
Elias Brothers Restaurants, Inc.
Marriott Corporation
Robert C. Wian Enterprises
August 6, 1936 (as Bob's Pantry)
Glendale, California, U.S.[1]
Southfield, Michigan, United States
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- Michigan
- California (as Bob's Big Boy)
- Ohio
- Nevada
- North Dakota
- Outside of US
- Thailand[2]
- Independent
- Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio (as Frisch's Big Boy)
- Japan (as Big Boy Japan)[3][4]
- Big Boy hamburger
- Brawny Lad sandwich
- Hot Fudge Cake
- Slim Jim sandwich
- Strawberry pie
- Fish and Chips
Big Boy began as Bob's Pantry in 1936 by Bob Wian in Glendale, California.[8]: 11 The restaurants became known as "Bob's", "Bob's Drive-Ins",[9][10][note 1] "Bob's, Home of the Big Boy Hamburger",[10] and (commonly as) Bob's Big Boy. It became a local chain under that name and nationally under the Big Boy name, franchised by Robert C. Wian Enterprises; Wian only required franchisees to use "Big Boy" and not include his name "Bob's". Marriott Corporation bought Big Boy in 1967. One of the larger franchise operators, Elias Brothers, purchased the chain from Marriott in 1987, moved the headquarters of the company to Warren, Michigan, and operated it until bankruptcy was declared in 2000. During the bankruptcy, the chain was sold to investor Robert Liggett, Jr., who took over as chairman, renamed the company Big Boy Restaurants International and maintained the headquarters in Warren. In 2018, Big Boy was sold to a group of Michigan investors and renamed Big Boy Restaurant Group, with David Crawford as chairman, CEO, and co-owner of the new company.[6][3] In January 2020, Tamer Afr replaced Crawford as chairman, CEO, and co-owner.[12] As of April 2024, the company operates 55 total locations in the United States: 51 "Big Boy" branded restaurants in Michigan, Nevada, North Dakota, and Ohio; and four additional locations in California branded as "Bob's Big Boy".[13] One Big Boy location also operates in Thailand.[14]
Immediately after Liggett's purchase, Big Boy Restaurants International—then known as Liggett Restaurant Enterprises—negotiated an agreement with the other large franchise operator, Frisch's Restaurants. The Big Boy trademarks in Kentucky, Indiana, and most of Ohio and Tennessee transferred to Frisch's ownership; all other Frisch's territories transferred to Liggett.[15][16][note 2] Thus Frisch's is no longer a franchisee, but Big Boy Restaurant Group and Frisch's are now independent co-registrants of the Big Boy name and trademark.[17] Frisch's operates about 90 Big Boy restaurants in the United States, of which 10 are franchised.[18][19]
Big Boy Japan, also independent of Big Boy Restaurant Group, operates 274 restaurants in Japan.[3][4][20]
Regional franchises[edit]
Operation and history[edit]
In addition to the Big Boy name, the "Big Boy" concept, menu, and mascot were originally licensed to a wide number of regional franchise holders (listed in the next section). Because many of the early franchisees were already in the restaurant business when joining Big Boy, "Big Boy" was added to the franchisee name just as the Big Boy hamburger was added to the franchisee's menu. In this sense, it is confusing when referring to a chain, as each named franchisee was itself a chain and Big Boy could be considered a chain of chains. People tend to know Big Boy not simply as Big Boy but as the franchise from where they lived such as Bob's Big Boy in California, Shoney's Big Boy in the south or Frisch's Big Boy in much of Ohio, Marc's Big Boy in the Upper Midwest, Elias Brothers' Big Boy (or sometimes just Elias Brothers') in Michigan, among many others.
Each regional franchisee typically operated a central commissary which prepared or processed foods and sauces to be shipped fresh to their restaurants.[9][103][104][105] However, some items might be prepared at the restaurants daily, such as soups and breading of seafood and onion rings.
Through the 1950s and 1960s, the emphasis changed from drive-in restaurant to coffee shop and family restaurant. New franchisees without existing restaurants signed on. A larger standard menu was developed. Most adopted a common graphic design of menus and promotional items, offered by Big Boy but personalized to the franchise. Stock plans of restaurant designs were provided by Los Angeles architects Armet and Davis or Chicago architectural designer Robert O. Burton, and modified as needed.
In the 1960s, Big Boy and other drive-in restaurants could not compete with the spreading fast food restaurants such as McDonald's and Burger King. Big Boy built its last drive-in in 1964 and, by 1976, only 5 of the chain's 930 restaurants offered curb service.[1][106] Big Boy redefined itself as a full service restaurant in contrast to fast food. Nonetheless, in the late 1960s and 1970s, Bob's, Shoney's and JB's also opened Big Boy Jr. stores, designed as fast food operations which offered a limited menu. Sometimes called drive-ins, these junior stores did not use carhops.[107][108][109] In 1993, Marc's Big Boy similarly developed Big Boy Express stores using dual drive-thrus and no interior dining area.[110] Two Express stores were built, offered for sale a year later and closed in 1995.[111][112]