Big Boy (restaurant)
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Big Boy Restaurant

Type Restaurant: Casual dining restaurant
Founded: 1936
Headquarters: Warren, Michigan, United States
Key people: Bob Wian, Founder, Robert Liggett, Jr., Keith E. Sirois, CEO

Big Boy was started in 1936 by Bob Wian, in partnership with Arnold Peterson in Glendale, California, U.S.A.. Marriott Corporation bought the chain in 1967. One of the larger franchise operators, Elias Brothers, purchased the chain from Marriott in 1987, moving the headquarters of the company to Warren, Michigan, and operating it until declaring bankruptcy in 2000. Following the bankruptcy, the chain was sold to investor Robert Liggett, Jr., who took over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), renamed the company Big Boy Restaurants International and kept the headquarters in Warren. The company is the franchisor for more than 455 Big Boy restaurants in the United States and Canada.

Origin

The chain is best known for its trademark chubby boy in red and white checked overalls holding a Big Boy sandwich (double decker cheeseburger). The inspiration for Big Boy’s name, as well as the model for its mascot, was Richard Woodruff (1936 - 1986), of Glendale, California. When he was six years old, he walked into the diner Bob’s Pantry as Bob Wian was attempting to name his new hamburger. Wian said, “Hello, Big Boy” to Woodruff, and the name stuck. Warner Bros. animation artist Ben Washam sketched Richard’s caricature, which became the character seen on the company logo. This character would also eventually be featured in The Adventures of Big Boy comic book, produced as a promotional giveaway for children visiting the restaurant. Since 1997, the comic book has been produced by Craig Yoe’s Yoe! Studio. Another longtime promotion was the Big Boy Kids Club, offering coupons and premiums to members, who joined by sending in an application from the comic book.

A Big Boy sandwich consists of two thin beef patties placed on a three layer sesame seed bun with lettuce, a single slice of cheese, and Big Boy special sauce, or (in some locations) tartar sauce on each slice of bun. Unlike the similar McDonald’s Big Mac, which was patterned after the Big Boy, onions were not included in the original recipe. They had to be ordered as an extra. They also offer salads, dinner combinations, and various desserts.

Regional franchises

In addition to the Bob's Big Boy name, the ''Big Boy'' concept, menu, and mascot were originally franchised to a wide number of regional franchise holders, listed below (with approximate original territory in parentheses). Of these, only Frisch’s still maintains franchise rights to the “Big Boy” name, and many of the other former franchise owners (Shoney’s, for example) have expanded into areas that were once the territory of another franchise holder, and the current Big Boy Restaurants International has been expanding its Big Boy name into territories formerly held by franchisees. Unlike most modern franchises, the various restaurants differed somewhat from one another in terms of pricing and menu offerings. burger (Ann Arbor, Michigan), a new style of restaurant operating under the Big Boy Corporation. This is Big Boy Corporation’s first attempt at fast and casual dining.

Abdow’s (Massachusetts, Connecticut) now defunct, many converted to Elixi Corp’s Bickfords Family Restaurants, Azar’s (Northern Indiana, Colorado) Becker’s (Rochester, NY area before TJ’s), Big Boy of Florida (Exclusive rights to the Central Florida territory), Bob’s (California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, as well as Indiana and Pennsylvania turnpike and airport locations operated in several states by the Marriott Corp.), Eat ‘n Park (metro Pittsburgh) dropped Big Boy in 1975. Elby’s (West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio) owned the Big Boy rights to northern West Virginia, originally through Shoney’s and quickly expanded Big Boy into bordering Ohio counties, subfranchised through Frisch’s, and later expanded through Pennsylvania. A trademark battle with Frisch’s over Ohio operations caused Elby’s to drop Big Boy affiliation, to be followed by Shoney’s et al. Elias Brothers (Michigan, Northeastern Ohio, Ontario, Canada), Frisch’s (Ohio, Kentucky, S. Indiana, Florida until the early 1990s) the Cincinnati restaurant chain and first franchisee, began serving Big Boy hamburgers in 1946; Frisch’s now operates 88 Big Boys & franchises 32 Big Boys to others. They also franchise Golden Corrals in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. JB’s (Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Washington, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas), JB’s (Canada) (Ontario and Alberta in the 1970s), Kebo’s (Seattle & Tacoma, Washington area before JB’s and Bob’s), Ken’s (Maryland - suburban Washington DC, became Bob’s late 1960s), Kip’s (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas), Lendy’s (Western Virginia), Leo’s (Spokane, Washington; Montana), Mady’s (Windsor, Ontario, Canada), Manners (Northeastern Ohio), Marc’s (Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois) were owned by the Marcus Corporation. Some were sold, others were converted to Marc’s Cafe & Coffee Mill and later Annie’s American Cafe. Most now operate as Perkins., McDowell’s (North Dakota), Shoney’s (Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Maryland), founded by and named after Alex Schoenbaum, no longer displays the Big Boy Statue, because it dropped its relationship with Big Boy in 1984 in order to expand to other states where others owned the trademark. It was the second Big Boy franchisee and subfranchised to Elby’s and Lendy’s, Ted’s (Rhode Island), TJ’s (New York), Tops (Illinois), Tote’s (St. Louis area before Shoney’s), Vip’s (New Mexico), Yoda’s (Western Virginia), Also, Big Boy Japan owns and operates 296 locations (as of September 2007) throughout Japan under four restaurant names: Big Boy (199 stores), Milky Way (50), Victoria Station (43), and Grill Dan (4).