![]() In 1956, the original Bob’s Big Boy location received a facelift and remodel. Big Sales Means Big ExpansionĪccording to an ad in the Van Nuys News on November 7, 1951, Bob’s Big Boy had sold 2,600,000 Big Boy sandwiches with eight locations in operation. I’m not even counting all of the chubby-kid imitator restaurants that sprouted up to try and catch some of that Bob’s Big Boy magic. B’s, Shap’s, Shoney’s, Ted’s, TJ’s, Tops, Tote’s, Tune’s, Vip’s, and Yoda’s. There was this many: Abdow’s, Arnold’s, Azar’s, Becker’s, Bud’s, Chez Chap, Don’s, Eat’n Park, Elby’s, Elias Brothers, Franklin’s, Frejlach’s, Frisch’s, JB’s (US), JB’s (Canada), Kebo’s, Ken’s, Kip’s, Lendy’s, Leo’s, Manners, Marc’s, McDowell’s, Mr. How many exactly were there? Well, let’s see. Bob was licensing to these franchisees the opportunity to sell his Big Boy double-deck hamburger, but not to use the name of “Bob’s Big Boy.” This is why you normally found the words “Big Boy” proceeded with the possessive form of the owner’s name. Shoney’s sub-franchised the Big Boy sandwich and name on behalf of Bob’s Big Boy. It wasn’t until the late 1940s that the Big Boy name would start to spread nationwide with the additions of Frisch’s Big Boy ( Cincinnati, Ohio), Eat’n Park Big Boy ( Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Parkette Big Boy ( Charleston, West Virginia it became Shoney’s Big Boy in 1954), and Elias Brothers Big Boy ( Detroit, Michigan). Bob’s sister Dottie moved over from Rite Spot to be a carhop at her brother’s establishment. After an expansion of the original location, curb service began at both restaurants. Let’s start calling Wian by his first name of Bob. I still remember owning a Bob’s Big Boy bank when I was a child. The Big Boy led to a favorite line of merchandising that exists to this day. The upper half was stacked with red relish ( sweet pickle relish, ketchup, and chili sauce), another two-ounce beef patty, and mayo, with the crown on top. The club was placed on the bottom two-ounce beef patty. The heel was topped with a two-ounce beef patty, a slice of American cheese, and one and a half ounces of shredded lettuce with mayo, in that order. I’m going to use McDonald’s Big Mac lingo for the next paragraph: the bottom bun is the heel, the middle one is the club, and the sesame-seed top is the crown. If it sounds familiar, it’s because it has had hundreds of restaurant imitators, including the most famous one, McDonald’s Big Mac. The original double-deck hamburger had a sesame bun that was sliced twice to create a middle piece of bread. It was that day that he created a sandwich that has been imitated a million times over, the original double-deck hamburger. In February 1937, members of the Glendale High School orchestra were having their usual burger meal when one of them asked for “something different, something special?” as he recalled in an interview for the Milwaukee Journal on December 16, 1958. The red hamburger relish from Rite Spot found its way onto the creation that would catapult Bob’s Pantry into the world of burger legend. Brown’s Ice Cream Parlor’s hot fudge sundae. Many of the dishes on the Bob’s Pantry menu were “ inspired” by dishes from his previous places of employment and restaurants that he frequented, like White Log’s pancakes and C.C. On August 6, 1936, the stand reopened as Bob’s Pantry.īob Wian serving a customer at Bob’s Pantry in 1936 Bob’s Big Boy Inspirations Then, he borrowed fifty dollars from his dad for supplies. After selling his DeSoto Roadster for three hundred dollars, he used the proceeds to buy the store. He came across a ten-stool stand located between a nursery and a liquor store in Glendale, California. Wian had been saving up his earnings to open up a place he could call his own. ![]() Dunagan, who would later be the vice president and general manager of the Bob’s Big Boy company. The man who hired Wian at Rite Spot was Leonard A. It was at Rite Spot that he learned how important consistency is in food service. The Rite Spot offered curb service, and Wian’s younger sister was a carhop there. Wian also learned the fry cook and counterman stations. So, he quit his management job and went back to an entry-level dishwashing gig at Rite Spot. He was adamant about gaining restaurant experience. ![]() Wian believed he could build a better mousetrap. While at the White Log Coffee Shop, Wian learned their entire system of operation, from pricing to their use of a central commissary for all of their locations. Wood, would later become the purchasing agent for the Bob’s Big Boy chain. He worked his way up from dishwasher to fry cook and then to manager. Shortly after graduating from high school in 1933, he took a job at the White Log Coffee Shop in Los Angeles. Bob’s Big Boy founder Bob Wian started at the bottom. ![]()
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