Big Boy Restaurants

History

Big Boy began as Bob's Pantry in 1936 by Bob Wian in Glendale, California, where he created the double-decker hamburger as a joke. The sandwich's popularity led to renaming the restaurant Bob's Big Boy.

Wian franchised the Big Boy name nationally, requiring franchisees to use Big Boy without including Bob's. In the late 1940s, Wian licensed Frisch's Big Boy in Cincinnati and Eat'n Park Big Boy in Pittsburgh to maintain a national trademark. In 1951, Alex Schoenbaum of Shoney's Big Boy helped establish a formal franchising system.

Marriott Corporation bought Big Boy in 1967. In 1987, franchise operator Elias Brothers purchased the chain from Marriott, moved headquarters to Warren, Michigan, and operated it until bankruptcy in 2000. Investor Robert Liggett Jr. then bought the chain, renamed it Big Boy Restaurants International, and kept the headquarters in Warren. Liggett negotiated an agreement with Frisch's Restaurants, transferring Big Boy trademarks in Kentucky, Indiana, most of Ohio, and Tennessee to Frisch's ownership, making Frisch's an independent co-registrant.

Food

The signature Big Boy hamburger is the original double-deck hamburger, created as a joke in February 1937 when bass player Stewie Strange asked for something different at Bob's Pantry in Glendale, California. Bob Wian improvised the sandwich, intending it to look ridiculous like a leaning tower, and later named it Big Boy. In 1938, the burger cost 15¢; in 2018, it cost $6.49 in Michigan. The Big Boy consists of two thin beef patties on a three-layer bun with lettuce, American cheese, and either mayonnaise with red relish or special sauce (Thousand Island dressing), or at Frisch's, Manners and Azar's, tartar sauce.

Wian used a sesame seed bun, while Frisch's uses a plain bun and includes pickles. Originally requiring a quarter pound of fresh ground beef, later franchisees could use frozen patties with a minimum of a fifth of a pound. The Big Boy inspired other double-deck hamburgers including McDonald's Big Mac, Burger Chef's Big Shef, and Burger King's Big King.

Mascot

The restaurant chain is best known for its mascot, a chubby boy with a pompadour hairstyle, wearing red-and-white checkered overalls and holding a Big Boy sandwich. The inspiration for the name and mascot was six-year-old Richard Woodruff of Glendale, California, who walked into Bob's Pantry as Bob Wian was naming the hamburger; Wian said 'Hello, Big Boy' to him. Warner Bros. artist Ben Washam sketched Richard's caricature for the original trademark.

In 1955, Manfred Bernhard revised the West Coast mascot, creating fiberglass statues and a comic book. In 1951, franchisee Dave Frisch developed a slimmer East Coast Big Boy wearing a side cap, saddle shoes, and striped overalls, portrayed in a running pose. By the late 1960s, both characters were redrawn to appear similar, combining the checkered outfit, pompadour, and hamburger from the West Coast design with the running pose from the East Coast design.

In the 1980s, the hamburger was removed from the West Coast design to accommodate Japanese Big Boy restaurants, which do not serve hamburgers on a bun. In 1985, Marriott Corporation put the mascot's fate to a public vote, which overwhelmingly favored keeping it.

Regional franchises

Big Boy wasn't a single chain, but a brand licensed to many regional restaurant operators, each of which added "Big Boy" to their own name. Most people know the version in their area, like Bob's Big Boy in California, Shoney's Big Boy in the South, Frisch's Big Boy in much of Ohio, Marc's Big Boy in the Upper Midwest, or Elias Brothers' Big Boy in Michigan. As of 2023, Big Boy Restaurant Group charges a $50,000 franchise fee, a 4% royalty, and up to 3% in advertising fees on weekly gross revenue, with rates varying by location.

Frisch's Big Boy, as of 2020, asks for a $40,000–$45,000 fee, a 4% royalty, and 2.5% for advertising. Most Big Boy Restaurant Group locations are franchised, while most Frisch's locations are company-owned as of 2017. Big Boy Restaurant Group franchise agreements are not renewable; operators must sign new ones.