Bob 's Big Boy - wikipedia Bob 's Big Boy For the history of the entire Big Boy chain, see Big Boy Restaurants. Coordinates : 34 ° 09 ′ 09 '' N 118 ° 20 ′ 46 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 34.15258 ° N 118.346154 ° W ﻿ / 34.15258 ; - 118.346154 Bob 's Big Boy restaurant, January 2014 Bob 's Big Boy is a restaurant chain founded by Bob Wian in Southern California in 1936, originally named Bob 's Pantry. It is now part of Big Boy Restaurants International, the current primary trademark owner and franchisor of the Big Boy system. As of September 2017, only five Bob 's Big Boy Restaurants remain in operation, all in Southern California. Those five locations are in Burbank ( Toluca Lake ), Calimesa, Downey, Norco, and Northridge. Wian created the Big Boy hamburger less than a year after opening his original location by slicing a bun into three slices and adding two hamburger patties. Contents 1 History 1.1 Bob Wian before Big Boy 1.2 Bob 's Pantry 1.3 Bob 's Big Boy 1.3. 1 Bob Wian : 1936 -- 1967 1.3. 2 Marriott : 1967 -- 1987 1.3. 3 Marriott as franchisee : 1987 -- 1990s 1.3. 4 Big Boy Restaurants International, Bob 's franchisor : 2000 -- present 2 Oldest remaining restaurant 3 Other notable locations 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links History Bob Wian before Big Boy Bob Wian entered Glendale High School as the Great Depression started in 1929. His father 's furniture business bankrupt, Wian washed dishes in the school cafeteria to pay for lunch. Not being a committed student -- he never took homework home -- classmates voted Wian most unlikely to succeed. But his father 's business failure and classmates ' doubts would lead Wian to success. After graduation in 1933, Wian found work as the overnight dishwasher at a Los Angeles White Log Coffee Shop, a West Coast chain similar to White Castle. Suddenly he was interested in how a restaurant worked and how it could be improved ; he became determined to own a restaurant or even a chain. And he was intent on proving his classmates wrong. Now ambitious, Wian was promoted to fry cook then manager. He learned the White Log system, its merchandising and pricing of foods, and use of a central commissary ; Wian would later apply these to Big Boy. He would also adopt White Log 's pancake batter recipe. And at White Log he befriended fellow fry cook Bennie Washam, who would later sketch the original Big Boy mascot. Wanting wider experience, Wian quit and took a dishwashing job with his favorite Glendale restaurant, Lionel Sternberger 's Rite Spot. Again he was promoted to counterman and fry cook. The man who hired Wian and was his boss, Leonard Dunagen, would later be hired by Wian and became vice president of Bob 's Big Boy. Wian discovered how Rite Spot made its chili, hamburgers, and red hamburger relish -- the same relish Wian would use on the Big Boy hamburger. And he learned the importance of consistency in foods served. The Rite Spot also offered curb service, as Bob 's Big Boy would in several years. ( His sister Dottie was a carhop at the Rite Spot before moving to Bob 's Big Boy. ) However, Wian 's first drive - in work was at a Pig Stand. The restaurants used pig shaped die cut menus and some had a big pig in front ; similarly Bob 's would use Big Boy shaped die cut menus and later display large Big Boy statues out in front. Wian also patronized other restaurants looking for additional menu items, attempting to recreate the favored items at home, and sometimes prodding food suppliers for how they were made. Bob 's hot fudge sundae, for example, was adopted from the sundae served at C.C. Brown 's Ice Cream Parlor. Wian claimed that there was nothing new at Bob 's Big Boy -- excepting the double - deck Big Boy hamburger -- and that he was building Big Boy in his mind while at these previous jobs. Confident from his restaurant employment and encouraged by his father, he was already looking for a location when The Pantry was placed for sale. Bob 's Pantry According to a 2013 Los Angeles Times article, Bob Wian started the 10 - stool Bob 's Pantry hamburger stand at 900 E. Colorado in Glendale in 1936. This stand expanded adding carhop service and was eventually razed and replaced by a McAllister designed drive - in in 1956. This location was known as `` Bob 's # 1 '' and remained as a Bob 's until it was closed and demolished in 1989. A second Glendale location at Broadway and Maryland was known as `` Bob 's # 4 '', while the Toluca Lake location was known as `` Bob 's # 6 ''. Wian sold the chain to Marriott in 1967. Bob 's Big Boy Bob Wian : 1936 -- 1967 In August 1936, a 22 - year - old Robert `` Bob '' Wian, an expectant father making $19 a week, quit his job and sold his 1933 DeSoto Roadster for $300 as down payment on a ten stool hamburger stand called `` The Pantry ''. He cleaned the place until it `` shine ( d ) like a brand new penny '', borrowed $50 from his dad for meat and supplies, and reopened as `` Bob 's Pantry ''. Six months later Wian assembled his special double decker hamburger. Created as a joke for a customer wanting something different, the novel hamburger began drawing business. The `` snappy '' name given the popular sandwich provided a new name for his restaurant : Bob 's Big Boy. Wian expanded the small restaurant and opened a second drive - in in Burbank in 1938 launching drive - in curb service at both locations. During World War II Wian experienced shortages of both meat and manpower, and one of the four Bob 's then in operation closed. Soon after the war -- in 1946 -- Wian formed Robert C. Wian Enterprises to assume his restaurant business. In the late 1940s Wian licensed two operators in the East to sell his Big Boy hamburger, Frisch 's Big Boy in Cincinnati and Eat'n Park Big Boy in Pittsburgh ; this served Wian 's goal to procure and maintain a national trademark. In 1951, the third licensee Alex Schoenbaum of Shoney 's Big Boy sold Wian on a formal franchising system and with the popularity of the drive - in restaurant a series of franchising and subfranchising Big Boy followed in the 1950s. The franchisees were required to sell the Big Boy hamburger and use their own name with Big Boy, not Bob 's. By 1951 eight Bob 's Big Boy were in operation. The Bob 's imprint of the first ( 1956 ) edition of Adventures of the Big Boy comic book lists ten locations, including one in Arizona, while a legal filing claims twelve locations. The eighteenth Bob 's opened in 1963. And the chain 's 1965 menu lists 23 California restaurants ( including one opening in late 1965 and another in 1966 ) and 6 Arizona restaurants. Wian provided his workers health insurance and a profit sharing plan, which included the option of employees to franchise a Bob 's. In 1955 the first such unit opened in Phoenix, another opened in Tucson in 1962 and three more locations by 1968. ( By 1974 there were nine Phoenix metropolitan area Bob 's, including one under construction, when the units were acquired by JB 's Big Boy for $2.7 million. ) Marriott : 1967 -- 1987 In 1961, a merger was proposed with the John R. Thompson Co., a Chicago - based restaurant operator until talks broke off. Five years later another merger was proposed, and in May 1967, Bob Wian sold Big Boy to the Marriott Corporation. The sale included Wian 's 22 company owned Bob 's Big Boys. ( Another 580 franchised Big Boy restaurants operated in 38 states nationwide. ) After the merger, Wian remained as president of Marriott 's new `` Big Boy Restaurants of America '' division. Used to dealing with franchisees and store managers on a personal level, he became overwhelmed with the increasing size of the chain, describing it as `` this monster I built ''. And unhappy with Marriott 's new focus on rapid growth and corporate profits, over his approach and practices, Wian became discouraged and resigned as president in May 1968. He accepted membership on Marriott 's board, but his guidance never sought, Wian likewise quit that position in the summer of 1969. Although he attended the 1972 annual Big Boy Executive Conference, Wian avoided Bob 's Big Boys and refused invitations to special events at the restaurants. He remained close friends with long time associates at Big Boy. Marriott began rapid expansion using the Bob 's name that it now owned. By 1971 there were 49 California Bob 's, and by 1979, 132. It bought the Ken 's Big Boy franchise in the Washington, DC - Baltimore metropolitan area, using the Bob 's name instead. In the mid-1970s Bob 's Big Boy expanded into Alaska and Hawaii. Marriott also bought the 39 - unit Manners Big Boy chain in 1974 which may have been renamed Bob 's Big Boy in 1979. The 26 operating Cleveland - area restaurants were sold to and rebranded Elias Brothers Big Boy in 1985. Marriott as franchisee : 1987 -- 1990s In 1987 Marriott sold the Big Boy trademark to Elias Brothers, the Michigan Big Boy franchisee, but retained the Bob 's Big Boy name and restaurants as a franchisee. At the time, Marriott operated 208 Bob 's Big Boys, including company - owned Bob 's in Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and the District of Columbia. Many of these eastern Bob 's were sited at rest stops on interstate toll roads, often conversions of recently purchased Howard Johnson 's restaurants, while others were in territory that belonged to previous franchisees. Several Bob 's Big Boy restaurants, such as five in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area and two along the Ohio Turnpike were not owned by Marriott. Marriott kept its company - owned Bob 's units under franchise after the sale to Elias Brothers, and the number of such Bob 's increased to 238 by 1989 when Marriott decided to divest of its food service operations. In 1991, already having converted some San Diego stores to Allie 's, named after J. Willard Marriott 's wife Alice, it sold 104 California Bob 's ( to a company which outbid Elias Brothers ) removing the units from the Bob 's chain and the Big Boy system. Toll road Bob 's Big Boys remained in service longer due to Marriott 's contractual obligations, but are no longer in operation. Privately - owned eastern US Bob 's were also sold. Big Boy restaurants International, Bob 's franchisor : 2000 -- present When Robert Liggett ( i.e., Big Boy Restaurants International ) bought Big Boy from the bankrupt Elias Brothers in 2000, ten western Bob 's Big Boys were in operation, dropping to eight by 2006. ( The last Bob 's in Hawaii closed after suffering a fire in 2009. ) Now limited to California, Bob 's grew to 16 restaurants by 2011, but started to decline again. Although Big Boy Restaurants International expected to open 140 California units by 2018, in 2017 only five Bob 's Big Boy Restaurants remain, all in the Greater Los Angeles Area of Southern California. Oldest remaining restaurant Statue in front of Bob 's Big Boy restaurant in Burbank, California. Patio tables at the Bob 's Big Boy restaurant in Burbank, California. The Bob 's Big Boy Restaurant located at 4211 Riverside Drive in Burbank, California, is the oldest remaining Bob 's Big Boy in the United States. Built in 1949 by local residents Scott MacDonald and Ward Albert, it was designed by Los Angeles architect Wayne McAllister, `` incorporating the 1940s transitional design of streamline moderne style, while anticipating the freeform 1950s coffee shop architecture. The towering Bob 's sign is an integral part of the building design and its most prominent feature. '' The building is said to have `` made McAllister 's reputation, '' and he is credited with creating the restaurant 's circular drive - through design. The restaurant was designated a California Point of Historical Interest in 1993. McAllister worked to preserve the structure as a historic landmark. McAllister was also the architect for the original Lawry 's restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills, the original Sands Hotel casino and Desert Inn casino in Las Vegas, and designed 40 coffee shops in the Los Angeles area in the late 1940s, and each with a distinctive look. Coffee shops started in Los Angeles because of the popularity of automobiles, and then spread across the United States. The design of the Toluca Lake Bob 's represents a distinct period in the region 's architectural history, a style often referred to as Googie architecture. The building features a curving windowed facade and expansive roof overhangs with 1950s `` free - form '' style of cantilevered roofs and tall display signs. The Riverside Drive Bob 's Big Boy was designed as a drive - in, in which car hops brought food to the cars, and now operates a drive - thru window. In 1993, the tower sign was renovated, the dining room updated and an outdoor dining area added. Carhop service was reintroduced on weekends and a weekly classic car show is hosted in the parking lot. Bob Hope and other movie personalities such as Mickey Rooney, Debbie Reynolds, Jonathan Winters, Dana Andrews, Martha Raye, Alexis Smith and Craig Stevens, were once regulars at the restaurant. Hope frequented the Burbank drive - in because it afforded him privacy. Famed British musical group The Beatles dined at the Burbank location during their 1965 U.S. Tour. The table is the last booth on the right as one walks in, where the end of the windows facing out towards Riverside Drive 's stop. For many years a plaque described the event ; the plaque has been stolen many times by fans, and has been replaced each time. Many regulars to the restaurant call this table and booth `` The Beatles Booth. '' Other notable locations The original Bob 's Big Boy ( initially called Bob 's Pantry ) was the 10 - stool hamburger stand in Glendale, California, which founder Bob Wian purchased in 1936 and expanded into a drive - in restaurant. A second Glendale Bob 's drive - in, located on the northwest corner of East Broadway and Maryland Street, was a popular hangout for teenagers in the 1950s. It eventually outgrew itself, and a larger Bob 's restaurant similar in style to the Toluca Lake location with carhop service was built farther east at 900 E. Colorado. The larger restaurant opened in 1956 and could accommodate 90 customers inside seated in booths and at the counter, along with a separate area to serve additional take - out patrons, while the drive - in could service 55 cars at a time. The building was also designed by architects Wayne McAllister and William C. Wagner. The first Phoenix, Arizona, Bob 's Big Boy, established in 1954, was a notable exception to the California - based architecture. It was located at Central Avenue and Thomas Road. It quickly put two other nearby drive - in restaurants out of business. The building was modern, with horizontal overhanging roof lines and native stone at the entrance. Above was a large mural that resembled a Hopi sand painting of kachinas and a covered area to the east of the building for carhop service. Several Bob 's Big Boy locations were designed by Armet & Davis, an architectural firm noted for its contributions to Googie architecture. Bob 's Big Boy Broiler in Downey, California, is a Historical Landmark and example of Googie architecture. Once Johnie 's Broiler, this restaurant features the initial floor plan, carhop service, a drive - thru and an original neon sign. The West Los Angeles location on La Cienega Blvd. was the scene of one of Los Angeles ' worst crimes. On December 14, 1980, 11 people were forced into the walk - in freezer, robbed of approximately $1700 and shot, leaving three dead on the scene, one of whom died five months later, four others wounded and one in mental incoherency. Carletha Stewart, a former employee, and her companions, Franklin Freeman and Ricky Sanders, were arrested in 1981, and convicted in 1982, receiving sentences ranging from death to 25 years to life. The 1986 TV film The Right of the People was allegedly based on this crime and raised issues about the Second Amendment right to bear arms and self - defense. Another murder site was the Bob 's Big Boy in the Playa Del Rey neighborhood of southwestern Los Angeles. At that location, on April 30th 1990, the restaurant manager was shot dead in a botched robbery attempt. Notes Jump up ^ Big Boy Restaurants International also has 74 Big Boy Restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, and North Dakota. Previously known as Elias Brothers ' Big Boy, Manners Big Boy, and McDowell 's Big Boy, respectively, these restaurants are no longer co-branded with their regional franchise name as Bob 's is. Jump up ^ Wian worked at Sternberger 's Rite Spot Cafe at 606 East Colorado Boulevard in Glendale. Sternberger also operated a Rite Spot at 1500 West Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. Jump up ^ Wian likewise formed a close working relationship with Davis Wood, his manager at White Log Coffee Shop, and later hired Wood as purchasing agent for Bob 's Big Boy. Jump up ^ Some sources say Wian sold his car for $350, however, sources providing more detail, tend to say $300, this money used for the building itself. Several sources also refer to an additional $50 raised for initial food and supplies. Most sources simply say Wian bought the Pantry with money from selling his car. Yet Wian 's detailed narrative in Hansen refers to paying an additional $25 monthly, and $300 is similar to down payments Wian made on adjacent properties purchased over time. Jump up ^ After Eat'n Park, Shoney 's, the largest franchisee, and Elby 's left Big Boy, and JB 's having sued to leave, combined with Frisch 's exemption from paying any fees, Marriott found owning the Big Boy system to be unprofitable. Nation 's Restaurant News sources suggested Big Boy was simply given to Elias Brothers without cost. References Jump up ^ `` History of Big Boy ''. Big Boy Restaurants International LLC. ^ Jump up to : Chavez, Stephanie ( October 17, 1989 ). `` Big Boy Bowing Out : Original Glendale Diner Serves Its Last Burger After 51 Years ''. Los Angeles Times. Jump up ^ `` Locations - Big Boy ''. Big Boy. Retrieved September 19, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Jakle, John A. ; Sculle, Keith A. ( 2002 ). Fast Food : Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 78. ISBN 9780801869204. Jump up ^ Chong, Jia - Rui ( August 22, 2008 ). `` Actually, it is your grandfather 's Big Boy ''. Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458 - 3035. Retrieved September 13, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Hansen, Christian ( 2002 ). The Big Boy Story : `` King of Them All ''. Santa Barbara : Haagen Printing. ISBN 978 - 0967194363. ^ Jump up to : Yamada, Katherine ( November 29, 2003 ). `` Remembering her big brother -- Big Boy 's creator ''. Glendale News - Press. Retrieved October 15, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Searl, Laura ( June 9, 1986 ). `` Big Boy 's original Bob takes it easy in Newport ''. Orange County Register. Santa Ana, CA. Retrieved February 16, 2017 -- via newspaperarchive.com. ^ Jump up to : Lawrence, Larry ( December 16, 1958 ). `` From Dishwasher to Owner of Chain of Restaurants Is the Story of Bob Wian ''. The Milwaukee Journal Green Sheet. The Journal Company. ^ Jump up to : Finneman, John T. ( January 26, 1967 ). `` Big Boy Founder Turns $350 into $225 Million Business ''. Racine Journal - Times. p. 6A. Retrieved February 26, 2017 -- via newspaperarchive.com. ^ Jump up to : Advertisement ( April 15, 1956 ). `` New ' Bob 's ' Tuesday : California 's Fanciest Hamburger Joint Newest ' Home of the Big Boy ' ''. The Los Angeles Times. p. G8 -- via Newspapers.com. One of the most elaborate drive - in restaurant in the entire western United States opens Tuesday at 900 East Colorado, Glendale, on the site of the original Bob 's Pantry. His original capital was $300... Note : Shows image of new McAllister designed drive in, describes Commissary, employee Pension Plan. Jump up ^ Sigall, Martha ( 2005 ). Living Life Inside the Lines : Tales from the Golden Age of Animation. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 91 -- 92. ISBN 9781578067497. Note : This book correctly identifies Washam as a fry cook and designer of the original Big Boy mascot. However, no other reference states that he worked for or was a partner with Bob Wian, but Hansen says Washam worked with Wian at a White Log Coffee Shop. ( The statues were created about 20 years later and modeled on a revised design by Manfred Bernhard. ) Jump up ^ Piasecki, Joe ( January 16, 2012 ). `` Pasadena claims its slice of burger history ''. Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458 - 3035. Retrieved December 21, 2017. The undated menu... locates The Rite Spot at 1500 W. Colorado Blvd., at Avenue 64, with a second location at 606 E. Colorado in Glendale, both operated by an L.C. Sternberger. ^ Jump up to : Yamada, Katherine ( July 31, 2013 ). `` Verdugo Views : A life with Bob 's Big Boy ''. Los Angeles Times. ^ Jump up to : Rasmussen, Cecilia ( November 2, 2003 ). `` When Bob 's Was the Big Hangout ''. Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458 - 3035. Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016. In 1938, Wian changed the name from Bob 's Pantry to Bob 's Big Boy and converted the stand into a drive - in restaurant... It was a date - night and cruiser destination, a place to flirt, where boys eyeballed one another 's engines, got into fistfights over girls and arranged drag races. Teenagers gorged on french fries dipped in blue cheese dressing and `` suicide Cokes '' splashed with cherry, vanilla, lemon and chocolate flavorings. Jump up ^ `` Marriott - Hot Shoppes Negotiating Acquisition Of Wian Enterprises ''. Wall Street Journal. December 8, 1966. p. 10. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Alternate Link via ProQuest. Jump up ^ `` Bob 's Home of the ' Big Boy ' Burger ''. The Los Angeles Times. July 21, 1971. p. 18 Today. Retrieved November 28, 2017 -- via Newspapers.com. In 1936 Bob Wian 's dream materialized in the form of an old diner on the main street of his home town, Glendale. The price was $300, and, in order to raise it, he had to sell his most prized possession -- his car. ^ Jump up to : `` ' Big Boy ' Trademark Suit Opens, Glendale Firm Asks Verdict ''. The Independent Star News. Pasadena. July 26, 1959. p. 11 -- via newspaperarchive.com. Jump up ^ `` Obituary : William D. Peters / President of Eat'n Park restaurant ''. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 20, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2017. ( I ) n order to get a nationwide patent ( sic ), ( Bob Wian ) needed to add another franchise so he could claim a national presence. Note : it is a federal trademark which requires a national presence and which Wian sought. ^ Jump up to : `` Shoney 's Chain Growing Across 10 - State Region ''. Charleston Gazette - Mail. January 28, 1968. p. 87. Retrieved September 20, 2017 -- via newspaperarchive. Jump up ^ Shaw, Richard ( April 26, 2007 ). `` Big Boy returns for a celebration ''. The Sun Advocate. Price, Utah. Birthdays. Retrieved September 20, 2017 -- via NewsBank. ( O ) ther than the restaurants he controlled directly, Wian did n't want his first name used in conjunction with those restaurants so emerged over 18 different restaurant names associated with the Big Boy across the United States. Jump up ^ Grantham, Loretta ( October 20, 1996 ). `` Bye - bye, Big Boy : Comic creator loss meal ticket ''. The Palm Beach Post ( final ed. ). p. 1D -- via NewsBank. Wian created franchises that included the name of each outlet 's owner ( e.g., Azar 's Big Boy Restaurant ). Jump up ^ `` More beef to the bite ''. The Van Nuys News. November 8, 1951. p. 1 - C. Retrieved September 20, 2017 -- via newspaperarchive. ( W ) e serve approximately 18,000 people each day in our eight San Fernando Valley locations. Note : advertisement showing four restaurants in Glendale and one each in Burbank, Eagle Rock, Toluca Lake, and Van Nuys, California. Jump up ^ `` Bob 's ''. The Adventures of Big Boy. No. 1. Timely Illustrated Features. 1956. back page. Retrieved September 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` 18th Bob 's Big Boy Coffee Shop Opens ''. Press Telegram. Long Beach, CA. April 11, 1963. p. P 3 Z 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5. Retrieved November 4, 2017 -- via NewspaperArchive.com. Jump up ^ Robert C. Wian Enterprises, Inc. ( 1965 ), Bob 's ( Big Boy, Menu ), Back cover, archived from the original ( JPEG ) on November 5, 2017 Jump up ^ `` Big Boy Comes to Phoenix ! ! ( advertisement ) ''. Arizona Republic. July 6, 1955. p. 23 -- via Newspapers.com. The most elaborate drive - in restaurant in the entire Western United States opens today at North Central Ave. and Thomas Rd., Phoenix. Jump up ^ Schellie, Don ( February 8, 1962 ). `` Veep : Hold The Onion ''. Tucson Daily Citizen. p. 17. Retrieved September 23, 2017 -- via newspaperarchive.com. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). So 30 minutes before the official opening Tuesday of Bob 's Big Boy Coffee Shop on East Broadway, I hustled over to the establishment... And there stood Bob Wian, Mr. Big Boy Bob himself, sipping coffee. He came over from California to be on hand for this Historic Event... The place was knee - deep in vice presidents. Wian said one was working in the commissary in back, another supervising dishwashing operations and still another working with the hostesses, teaching the new employes the Bob 's Way of doing things. Alternative links : clipping 1 clipping 2 via NewspaperArchive.com. Jump up ^ Brown, Mary ( February 15, 1969 ). `` Tucson To Tumwater : Tummy Teasers Are Twins ''. Tucson Daily Citizen. Retrieved February 16, 2017 -- via newspaperarchive.com. Jump up ^ `` Big Boy chain in state is sold for $2.7 million ''. Arizona Republic. July 3, 1974. p. 43 -- via Newspapers.com. JB 's Big Boy Family Restaurants, Inc., Salt Lake City - based fast food chain, Tuesday announced purchase of Bob 's Restaurants of Arizona. Inc., owners of eight Bob 's Big Boy Family Restaurants in Arizona. The price was $2.7 million to be paid over five years... Bob 's Big Boy restaurants have four units in Phoenix and one each in Scottsdale, Mesa, Flagstaff and Chandler. A ninth is under construction and scheduled to open July 10 in Metrocenter. JB 's Big Boy Restaurants has 51 units. Jump up ^ `` Merger of restaurant chains eyed ''. The Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1961. pp. 9 -- I. Retrieved December 10, 2017 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Merger talks off ''. The Los Angeles Times. November 14, 1961. pp. 9 -- IV. Retrieved December 10, 2017 -- via Newspapers.com. ^ Jump up to : Stanton, Russ ( January 23, 1991 ). `` Bob 's Big Boy eateries sold ''. The Orange County Register. Santa Ana, California. p. D - 1. Retrieved September 20, 2017 -- via NewsBank. Jump up ^ `` Buys Restaurants ''. The Salt Lake Tribune. June 6, 1967. p. 26. Retrieved October 26, 2017 -- via NewspaperArchive.com. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Marriott Hot Shoppes, Inc., has acquired Big Boy Properties, Inc., and Robert C. Wian Enterprises, Inc... Big Boy operates 22 restaurants in the California area and franchises 580 in 38 states. Jump up ^ `` Seventy - three beaming beauties ''. The Van Nuys News. March 31, 1952. p. 2B. Retrieved December 3, 2017 -- via Newspapers.com. ( W ) e will never sacrafice quality of food or service for added expansion. Jump up ^ `` Made fortune in hamburgers : ' Big Boy ' says, ' apply yourself ' ''. The Tucson Daily Citizen. Associated Press. January 14, 1972. p. 17. Retrieved December 9, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Big Boy Progress ( image ) ''. Janie 's Big Boy Webpage. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Big Boy Hamburgers due in Alaska ''. The Fairbanks Daily News - Miner. July 7, 1973. p. 5. Retrieved December 2, 2017 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Now in Hawaii : Bob 's Big Boy ( Advertisement ) ''. The Honolulu Star - Bulletin. July 17, 1975. p. 18. Retrieved December 2, 2017 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ Higgins, Bette Lou ( August 9, 2009 ). `` Restaurants ''. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. Retrieved September 9, 2016. By 1964 there were 30 Manners Big Boy Restaurants in northeast Ohio... In 1968 Manners merged with Consolidated Food Corp. of Chicago. In 1974 Marriott purchased 39 Manners Drive Ins from Consolidated Foods... In 1995 the Big Boy Corp. was operating under the Elias Big Boy name. ^ Jump up to : Byard, Katie ( February 16, 1985 ). `` Michigan Firm To Purchase 26 Ohio Big Boys ''. Business. Akron Beacon Journal. p. B - 7. Retrieved September 23, 2017 -- via NewsBank. Elias Brothers Restaurants Inc... has agreed to purchase the 26 Bob 's Big Boy outlets in Northeast Ohio from owner and Big Boy franchiser Marriott Corp... Marriott purchased the Northeast Ohio Big Boy outlets, then under the name of Manners Big Boy Restaurants, from Chicago - based Consolidated Foods Corp. in the mid-1970s. Jump up ^ `` Business Briefs ''. United Press International. Warren, Michigan. November 5, 1987. Retrieved September 20, 2017 -- via NewsBank. Marriott will continue to operate its 208 company - owned Big Boy restaurants in California, Maryland, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Other major Big Boy franchise organizations will continue as Big Boy franchisees. Jump up ^ Fricker, Dan ( September 10, 1986 ). `` Goodbye Ho Jo, Hello Big Boy - Quakertown restaurant part of chain changeover ''. The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. p. B - 1. Retrieved September 21, 2017 -- via NewsBank. Jump up ^ `` Ground broken Monday for new restaurant ''. Frederick News Post. January 30, 1985. p. 18. Retrieved September 24, 2017 -- via newspaperarchive.com. Note : Maryland territory was once assigned to the past franchise : Ken 's Big Boy. Jump up ^ `` Area franchises unaffected by Marriott sale ''. The Patriot - News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. December 20, 1989. p. B - 8. Retrieved September 20, 2017 -- via NewsBank. Jump up ^ Patch, David ( September 18, 2000 ). `` Turnpike travelers still want food fast sit - down option gets cool reaction ''. The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. p. A-1. Retrieved September 23, 2017 -- via NewsBank. Only at the Middle Ridge and Vermilion Valley plazas, which have Bob 's Big Boy restaurants, was sit - down food available on the ( Ohio ) ( T ) urnpike before last year... HMS operates those Big Boys... But... has no plans to propose Big Boy restaurants for the new travel centers. Jump up ^ Weigel, George ( April 5, 1994 ). `` Eat'n Park restaurants are coming / / Chain plans to convert eight of area 's Big Boys ''. The Patriot - News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. p. B - 3. Retrieved September 21, 2017 -- via NewsBank. Jump up ^ `` Bob 's Big Boy to reopen today under new name in Waipahu ''. Honolulu Star - Advertiser. January 24, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2017. Jump up ^ Bagley, Chris ( July 17, 2008 ). `` Food : Big Boy bounces back ''. The North County Times. Escondido, California. Retrieved September 20, 2017 -- via NewsBank. ( Big Boy chief executive Tony ) Michaels said he expects franchisees to open eight to 10 restaurants in San Diego County and 140 statewide over the next decade. Jump up ^ Google. `` Bob 's Big Boy '' ( Map ). Google Maps. Google. ^ Jump up to : Bob 's Big Boy of Burbank menu, January 2007 Jump up ^ Boose, Denise ( February 5, 2012 ). `` Big Boy ''. Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 27 September 2015. Jump up ^ Friedlander, Whitney ( May 18, 2008 ). `` Go on a SoCal hunt for Googie architecture ''. Baltimore Sun. Jump up ^ Erskine, Chris ( August 30, 2013 ). `` Scoping classic cars at Bob 's Big Boy in Burbank : Chris Erskine heads to Bob 's Big Boy in Burbank on a Friday for the classic car show and meets folks like Chevy Jim ''. Los Angeles Times. External links Los Angeles portal Food portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bob 's Big Boy Restaurant ( Burbank ). Images of the restaurant Company sites Bob 's Big Boy, Toluca Lake Bob 's Big Boy Broiler, Downey Bob 's Big Boy, Northridge Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob%27s_Big_Boy&oldid=817703349 '' Categories : Big Boy Restaurants Regional restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants in the Greater Los Angeles Area Burbank, California Restaurants established in 1949 1949 establishments in California Restaurants in California Googie architecture in California Googie architecture Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content Coordinates on Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 30 December 2017, at 02 : 11. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: bob's big boy restaurants in southern california
Answer: Burbank