Big Boy Restaurants Explained

Big Boy Restaurant Group, LLC
Trade Name:Big Boy, Big Boy Restaurants
Type:Private
Predecessors:Big Boy Restaurants International, LLC
Bob's Pantry
Elias Brothers Restaurants, Inc.
Marriott Corporation
Robert C. Wian Enterprises
Founder:Bob Wian
Industry:Casual dining restaurant
Foundation: (as Bob's Pantry)
Glendale, California, U.S.[1]
Location:Southfield, Michigan, United States

Big Boy Restaurant Group, LLC, doing business as Big Boy, is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Southfield, Michigan.[2] The Big Boy name, design aesthetic, and menu were previously licensed to a number of regional franchisees.

Big Boy began as Bob's Pantry in 1936 by Bob Wian in Glendale, California. The restaurants became known as "Bob's", "Bob's Drive-Ins",[3] "Bob's, Home of the Big Boy Hamburger", 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. In January 2020, Tamer Afr replaced Crawford as chairman, CEO, and co-owner.[4] 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".[5] One Big Boy location also operates in Thailand.[6]

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.[7] [8] Thus Frisch's is no longer a franchisee, instead, Big Boy Restaurant Group and Frisch's are now independent co-registrants of the Big Boy name and trademark.[9] Frisch's operates about 90 Big Boy restaurants in the United States, of which 10 are franchised.[10] [11]

Big Boy Japan, also independent of Big Boy Restaurant Group, operates 274 restaurants in Japan.

Origin

Creation by Bob Wian

In 1936, Bob Wian opened his first hamburger stand in Glendale, California called Bob's Pantry. There, he 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 to the popular sandwich provided a new name for his restaurant: Bob's Big Boy.[12]

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.[13] 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.[14] The franchisees were required to sell the Big Boy hamburger and use their own name with Big Boy, not Bob's.[15]

The Big Boy mascot

The chain is best known for its trademark chubby boy with a pompadour hairstyle wearing red-and-white checkered 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 of Glendale, California.[16] When he was six years old, Woodruff 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 trademark.

In 1955, Bob Wian hired Manfred Bernhard, son of graphic designer Lucian Bernhard, to create a new public image for Big Boy. Bernhard was not impressed with Washam's mascot, saying it was sloppy and had a moronic expression. The "West Coast Big Boy" mascot was revised, fiberglass statues molded, schemes created for menus and building designs, and a comic book for children launched.

In 1951, Bob Wian's original franchisee Dave Frisch developed a slightly different Big Boy character. He was slimmer, wore a side cap, saddle shoes and striped overalls. Having reddish or blonde hair, he was portrayed in a running pose. Known as the "East Coast Big Boy", he was copyrighted by Frisch's and used for statues and comic books for Frisch's, and its subfranchisees Manners and Azar's. Before 1954, Parkette (Shoney's) used both versions, though never together.[17] Since 1956, the Wian "West Coast Big Boy" design was used exclusively by all franchisees other than Frisch's, Manners and Azar's. In the late 1960s, both characters were redrawn to appear similar, incorporating the checkered outfit, pompadour and hamburger above the raised arm from the West Coast design, and the running pose and direction of the East Coast design. In the 1980s, the hamburger was removed from the West Coast design; representing a de-emphasis of the hamburger in North American Big Boy restaurants, it also accommodated the Japanese Big Boy restaurants, which do not serve hamburgers on a bun.

Big Boy statues

Early versions of the West Coast Big Boy statues were gigantic, measuring up to 16 feet tall[18] [19] with later versions as short as 4 feet.[20] The early statues always included the Big Boy hamburger above the mascot's raised right arm; much later versions eliminated the hamburger with both arms clutching the suspenders instead. The hamburger remained a part of the Frisch's East Coast statues, though the slingshot was eliminated from the figure's back pocket. Although still used by that chain, some Frisch's restaurants currently display the West Coast statue instead.

Occasionally Big Boy statues have come into conflict with local zoning ordinances. In 2002, Tony Matar, a Big Boy franchisee in Canton, Michigan, was cited in violation of local sign ordinances. The town claimed the statue was a prohibited second sign; Matar asserted that the 7 foot statue was a sculpture, not a sign.[21] A 2004 compromise allows the existing statue to remain with the words "Big Boy" removed from the figure's bib.[22] When a Brighton, Michigan, franchise closed in early 2015 for financial reasons, zoning codes caused the entire signtopped with a rotating Big Boy statueto be taken down before the restaurant could be reopened.[23] In contrast, the planning commission in Norco, California — known as Horsetown USA — was concerned that the statue was not western enough. In response, the restaurant's Big Boy statue is now outfitted wearing a cowboy hat and boots.[24]

A few other modified statues are in official use. In Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park, a Frisch's statue is painted wearing a 1970s Reds baseball uniform with a Reds ballcap added. Frisch's Big Boy hamburgers are sold at two of the park's concession booths.[25] Rather than modifying a typical statue, the Big Boy restaurants in Manistique[26] [27] and St. Ignace,[28] Michigan, display full scale moose statues dressed in checkered overalls with "Big Boy" printed across the chest. To conform with Gaylord, Michigan's, Alpine theme, the local restaurant's statue previously wore a green Tyrolean hat.[29] (The restaurant was rebuilt in 2016, and no longer displays the modified statue.)

In March 2017, Frisch's unveiled a restyled statue. The new statue resembles the West Coast design but wears striped overalls like the original East Coast Big Boy.[30] The debut statue wearing a Reds uniform is placed near the existing statue at Great American Ball Park; another is planned for an unnamed Frisch's restaurant.[31] Frisch's will gradually swap the new statues for existing restaurant statues in need of repair.

Because of the closing or separation of former Big Boy restaurants, many West Coast statues were acquired by private individuals, often traded through eBay.[32] [33] Smaller versions of the statues are sold as coin banks and bobblehead figures.[34] The three dimensional Big Boy figure was also used on early ash trays,[35] salt and pepper shakers,[36] wooden counter displays and as small unpainted pewter models.[37]

Gigantic air inflatable Big Boy figures are available and typically used for restaurant openings and special promotions.[38]

Adventures of the Big Boy comic book

Adventures of the Big Boy (initially The Adventures of Big Boy) was a promotional comic book given free to children visiting the restaurants. Intended to "give the kids something to do while they waited for their food", the book involves the escapades of Big Boy, his girlfriend Dolly and dog Nugget. From the comic books, children could also join the Big Boy Club, a kids' club offering them free Big Boy hamburgers,[39] decoder cards, pin-back buttons[40] and other premiums. The serial – sometimes called "King of the Giveaways"[41] – once had distribution estimated at three million copies.[42]

Manfred Bernhard commissioned Timely Comics to produce the book. In the first year, Adventures of the Big Boy was managed by Sol Brodsky, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Bill Everett, Brodsky, and Dan DeCarlo.[43] [44] DeCarlo continued drawing in the second year and Lee writing the series through 1961.[45] For 17 years, starting in the mid-1970s, Manny Stallman drew the (Marriott) series,[46] followed by Bob Bindig who drew the series until 1995.[47]

Variations

Because of the distinct East and West Coast Big Boy mascots, dual versions of Adventures were produced, identical except for the detail of the Big Boy figure.[48] In July 1969, the versions merged, and a fluffy brown haired Big Boy appeared. In 1976, Shoney's began publishing their own series instead. Contracted to Paragon Products, this version featured an older, leaner Big Boy, with his siblings Katie and Tripp replacing Dolly and Nugget, and was adopted by the JB's and Azar's Big Boy franchises.[49] After 75 issues, it became Shoney's Fun and Adventure Magazine introducing a Shoney's mascot ("Uncle Ed" bear) in place of Big Boy, allowing it to serve Shoney's non-Big Boy restaurants.

Cancellation

In 1996, after 39 years and 466 issues, Big Boy cancelled the comic book and hired Craig Yoe's Yoe! Studio to revamp the characters and produce a magazine styled replacement.[50] [51] After 63 issues, the Big Boy Magazine was itself cancelled in 2008.[52]

Food

The Big Boy hamburger

The signature Big Boy hamburger is the original double deck hamburger.[53]

The novel hamburger started as a joke. In February 1937, some local big band musicians, who were regular customers of Bob's Pantry, visited the restaurant. When ordering, bass player Stewie Strange asked, "How about something different, something special?" [emphasis added]. Bob Wian improvised, creating the first (then unnamed) Big Boy, intending the thing "look ridiculous, like a leaning tower". Demand for "the special" soared but Wian sought a "snappy" name, which became Big Boy. In 1938, the Big Boy hamburger cost 15¢[54] .[55] In 2018, the Big Boy cost $6.49 in Michigan.[56] Several slogans were used from the 1950s through the 1970s to promote the Big Boy hamburger, such as, "A Meal in One on a Double–Deck Bun" and "Twice as Big, Twice as Good". On menus from that period, it was called, "...the Nationally Famous, Original Double–Deck Hamburger...".

The Big Boy hamburger inspired and was the model for other double deck hamburgers. This includes McDonald's Big Mac,[57] Burger Chef's Big Shef[58] and Burger King's Big King.[59] [60]

The Big Boy consists of two thin beef patties placed on a three-layer bun with lettuce, a single slice of American cheese, and either mayonnaise and red relish (a combination of sweet pickle relish, ketchup and chili sauce), Big Boy special sauce (often called thousand island dressing) or (at Frisch's, Manners and Azar's) tartar sauce on one or more layers of bun. (Regardless, the Big Boy condiment used was often simply referred to as "special sauce" on menus chainwide.) Wian used a sesame seed bun while Frisch's used a plain bun and included pickles. The Big Boy hamburger originally called for a quarter pound (4 ounces) of fresh ground beef, but later, franchisees were permitted to use frozen beef patties, and the minimum content reduced to a fifth of a pound to offset increasing food costs. Other specifications were exacting, such as the bun's bottom section being 1½  inches high and the center section ¾ inches, and 1½  ounces of shredded lettuce used.[61]

Originally, the Big Boy hamburger was the only common menu item required of all Big Boy franchisees.

Other core menu items

Just as Bob Wian's Big Boy hamburger was served by all franchises, the early franchises also contributed signature menu items. Frisch's provided the "Brawny Lad" and "Swiss Miss" hamburgers, Shoney's contributed the "Slim Jim" sandwich and Hot Fudge Ice Cream Cake, while Strawberry Pie was introduced by Eat'n Park. Hot Fudge Cake and Strawberry Pie remain popular dessert items chainwide but other items were not necessarily offered by all franchises, and franchises would sometimes change the item's name: The "Slim Jim" became the "Buddie Boy" at Frisch's, and Elby's renamed the "Swiss Miss" as the "Brawny Swiss".[62] [63] Similarly, when franchisees left Big Boy, they would typically rebrand the Big Boy hamburger: it became the "Superburger" (Eat'n Park),[64] the "Buddy Boy" (Lendy's),[65] the "Big Ben" (Franklin's),[66] and the "Elby Double Deck hamburger" (Elby's).[67] Shoney's reintroduced the "Classic Double Decker", somewhat different than the Big Boy, about a decade after leaving.[68]

Big Boy offers breakfast, burgers and sandwiches, salads, dinner combinations, and various desserts.[69]

Philosophy and practices

Bob Wian developed rules and philosophies about how Big Boy should operate. Besides the Big Boy hamburger and its construction, he attributed most of his success and that of his franchisees to following these rules. His fundamental restaurant principles were: "serve the best quality food, at moderate prices, in spotless surroundings, with courtesy and hospitality."[70] He believed "the customer is always right" and instructed employees that, "if any food item is not satisfactory, return it cheerfully and apologize for the error". Wian said he had five basic rules for building his business: "be a good place to work for, sell to, buy from, and invest in. And be a good neighbor in the community." He also attributed the growth to, "capable management and a conservative policy of not trying to seat more people than can be served or opening more restaurants than can be serviced." If some disruption occurred at a restaurant, such as a new manager or renovation, Wian would postpone advertising until operations would return to his standards.

Typical of Big Boy restaurants, Elby's Big Boy used a nine-step process waiting on dining room customers:[71]

  1. Greet customers within one minute of being seated, serving water and taking beverage orders.
  2. Serve beverages and take meal orders.
  3. Call in meal orders to kitchen.
  4. Place setups (e.g., silverware) and condiments, serve salad items.
  5. Watch kitchen (number panel) for completed order and promptly serve meals to table.
    (The kitchen should complete orders within 8 minutes, 10 minutes for steaks.)
  6. Check back with customers within a few minutes: "Is everything OK?"
  7. Return and place check on the table: "I'll return shortly."
  8. Suggest dessert and take dessert orders.
  9. Serve desserts or deliver final check, remove empty dishes.

Bob Wian was discerning of employees, hiring wait staff—which he considered a profession—by appearance, intelligence and enthusiasm.[72] He preferred employees with little or no restaurant experience which afforded training in the Big Boy tradition. Wian said that he "conned [employees] into believing in themselves ... I put my cooks in chef's outfits, even though they couldn't boil an egg". Other than wait staff, employees typically started as dishwashers and busboys, and advanced to short-order cooks, and then possibly to management.[73] Bob's Big Boy was one of the first restaurant chains to offer health insurance and profit-sharing to employees.[74]

Bob Wian excelled at franchise relations. He led 20-person training crews to open new Big Boy restaurants, made periodic nationwide tours of the franchises,[75] was available for consultations and claimed to know every manager's name. He also assembled the principal franchisees as board members of the National Big Boy Association to participate in leadership. After Wian left, some Big Boy operators began to question the value of their franchise.[76] [77]

Regional franchises

Operation and history

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.[78] [79] [80] 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.[81] 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.[82] [83] [84] In 1993, Marc's Big Boy similarly developed Big Boy Express stores using dual drive-thrus and no interior dining area. Two Express stores were built, offered for sale a year later and closed in 1995.

Several franchises also held Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises and sold that chicken in their Big Boy restaurants; these included Marc's,[85] McDowell's,[86] [87] Lendy's and one or more Shoney's subfranchises. The practice was discouraged and Big Boy eventually provided a similar scheme of selling buckets of take out chicken, marketed as Country Style[88] or Country Cousin Chicken.[89] Franchises who resisted the change were forced to remove Kentucky Fried Chicken menu items and physically relocate those operations. However, Marriott sold "Pappy Parker Fried Chicken" in Bob's Big Boys;[90] the Marriott owned brand was also sold in the company's Hot Shoppes and Roy Rogers Restaurants,[91] [92] and later Marriott Hotel Restaurants.[93]

Big Boy's origins as a drive-in restaurant required a much smaller investment to open and much lower costs to operate: a small building having no dining room or limited counter space. Thus persons of modest assets could become Big Boy operators. It was the profits from these operations which allowed not only additional drive-ins, but allowed operators to build modern restaurants with large pleasant dining rooms. Many of the early successful franchisees would probably not have assets (converted to present value) sufficient to join Big Boy today.

By 1979, there were more than a thousand Big Boy restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, and about 20 franchisees. Shoney's, Elias Brothers and Frisch's—charter franchisees—controlled the vast majority.[94] These mega franchisees paid practically no fees, e.g., Frisch paid $1 per year for its core four state territory. After Bob's, the four original franchisees (in order) were Frisch's, Eat'n Park, Shoney's (originally called "Parkette") and Elias Brothers, all clustered near the state of Ohio. All, including Bob's, remain in operation today, albeit Elias Brothers is simply known as Big Boy, and Eat'n Park and Shoney's dropped Big Boy affiliation in the 1970s and 1980s.

Big Boy developed named franchisees in several ways. Very quickly the Big Boy name and even the Big Boy character were being widely used without permission. Bob Wian, needing Big Boy restaurants operating in multiple states to maintain national (U.S.) trademark protection, offered very generous franchise agreements to Frisch's, Eat'n Park and Parkette (Shoney's). In 1952, Wian instituted a formal franchise process and Elias Brothers became the first such "official" franchisee paying Wian 1% of sales. Bob Wian also settled trademark infringements allowing the rogue operator to become a licensed franchisee, such as McDowell's Big Boy in North Dakota. Franchisees were permitted to subfranchise; these early subfranchisees often used their own name and operated independently: Frisch's licensed Azar's, and Manners; Shoney's licensed Adler's, Arnold's, Becker's, Elby's, Lendy's, Shap's, Tune's, and Yoda's. (An eastern Pennsylvania Elby's franchisee briefly operated as Franklin's Big Boy before dropping Big Boy.)

Acquisitions and mergers also occurred. In the early 1970s, Frisch's acquired Kip's Big Boy; JB's acquired Vip's, Kebo's, Leo's and Bud's which were rebranded JB's. Shoney's acquired the Missouri territory previously assigned to Tote's. After buying Big Boy, Elias Brothers bought Elby's and TJ's. Elby's was unique in leaving and rejoining the Big Boy system. When Marriott purchased Big Boy (Wian Enterprises) in 1967, this included Bob's Big Boy. The name "Bob's" would be used by all Marriott owned Big Boys and became common in parts of the eastern U.S. and elsewhere, far away from Bob's historic territory.

Frisch's now owns the "Big Boy" name in a defined four-state region and its franchisee Azar's closed in 2020. Bob's is licensed Big Boy Restaurant Group. Many of the other former franchise owners (Shoney's, particularly) have expanded into the former territories of other franchise holders.

After buying the Big Boy system from Marriott, Elias Brothers planned to phase out franchise names,[95] only generally realized by Big Boy Restaurants International after 2000.[96] This was intended to strengthen the trademark but also prevent defections, such as happened with Shoney's Big Boy retaining identity as Shoney's.[97] The same occurred with Eat'n Park, Elby's, Lendy's, JB's, and Abdow's who kept their names after leaving Big Boy. Big Boy now permits operators to informally identify by location such as Tawas Bay Big Boy in East Tawas, Michigan.[98]

Unlike most modern franchises, the historic Big Boy franchisees differed somewhat from one another in pricing and menus. After purchasing Big Boy in 1987, Elias Brothers intended to standardize the name and menu, but Bob's, Frisch's and McDowell's (now known as Bismarck Big Boy) continue to offer distinctions from the standard Big Boy menu.[99]

Franchising costs today

Big Boy Restaurant Group and Frisch's Big Boy Restaurants both continue to offer franchises in their exclusive territories, each having 20 year terms. As of 2023, Big Boy Restaurant Group charged a $50,000 franchise fee and an ongoing 4% royalty and up to 3% advertising fees based on weekly gross revenue.[100] [101] (In most of Michigan, the franchisee pays a 2% advertising fee and must spend an additional 1% on local advertising. Franchisees in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan or outside of Michigan pay a ½% advertising fee and must spend 1½% on local advertising.)[102] As of 2020, Frisch's Big Boy charges a $40,000–$45,000 franchise fee, and an ongoing 4% royalty and 2½% advertising fees on gross revenue.[103] The majority of Big Boy Restaurant Group units are franchised while the majority of Frisch's units are currently company owned.[104] Big Boy Restaurant Group franchise agreements are not renewable but new agreements are required.

Roster of named franchisees

Big Boy restaurants were cobranded with at least 34 different names representing various franchisees. These franchisees are listed below with territories, time span, founders, comic book code (in brackets) and additional notes, as known:

File:Historic Big Boy Restaurant Franchisee Logos.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|alt=Historic Big Boy franchisee logos|Logos of historic Big Boy franchisees.
Franchisees were once required to use their own name with the Big Boy name and character. Some changed logos periodically and these show designs used while a Big Boy affiliate, most dating from the mid 1950s to the mid 1960s. Eat'n Park, Shoney's and JB's are no longer affiliated with Big Boy. Logos for Adler's, Arnold's, Bud's and Chez Chap were not available to the artist.

circle 206 83 42

  1. Bob's
circle 77 177 32
  1. Abdows
circle 162 177 32
  1. Azars
circle 248 177 32
  1. Beckers
circle 332 177 32
  1. Eat'n Park
circle 73 264 31
  1. Elbys
circle 160 264 36
  1. Elias Brothers
circle 246 264 36
  1. Franklins
circle 332 264 35
  1. Frejlachs
circle 72 351 35
  1. Frischs
circle 159 349 32
  1. JBs
circle 245 349 31
  1. Kebos
circle 332 351 33
  1. Kens
circle 73 437 33
  1. Kips
circle 159 436 36
  1. Lendys
circle 245 437 32
  1. Leos
circle 333 437 35
  1. Manners
circle 73 522 31
  1. Marcs
circle 159 523 33
  1. McDowells
circle 245 523 32
  1. Mr Bs
circle 333 523 32
  1. Shaps
circle 76 610 31
  1. Shoneys
circle 163 609 31
  1. Teds
circle 249 609 31
  1. TJs
circle 336 609 31
  1. Tops
circle 74 696 32
  1. Totes
circle 161 697 34
  1. Tunes
circle 247 696 31
  1. Vips
circle 334 696 34
  1. Yodas
desc none

Outside the United States

Mady's Big Boy of Windsor, Ontario, was not a franchisee, though sometimes identified as one and using a similar looking mascot.[224] In 1965 Bob Wian sued Mady's for trademark infringement but failed because (his) Big Boy was judged not widely known in Canada. The case is considered important in Canadian and international trademark law.[225] In 1973 Elias Brothers bought Mady's and established an Elias Big Boy on Mady's original site.[226] John Bitove, Sr. owned the rights to Big Boy for the remainder of Canada, which he sold to Elias Brothers in 1979.[227] During the mid to late 1980's there was one in Nassau, Bahamas.

Big Boy also operated (or planned to open) restaurants in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Brazil, the Philippines and Thailand.[228]

Japan

Outside of North America, Big Boy Japan owns and operates 274 Big Boy Hamburger Steak & Grill Restaurants in Japan. Founded in 1977, Big Boy Japan now also operates 45 Victoria Station restaurants in Japan and is a subsidiary of Zénsho Holdings Co., Ltd.[229] [230] The Japanese Big Boy Restaurants do not offer the Big Boy hamburger or most other American Big Boy menu items, offering a distinct menu instead.[231] They also offer beer and wine. Zensho had purchased Big Boy Japan from the ailing Daiei in 2002 for 8.65 billion yen.[232] [233] Like Frisch, Big Boy Japan operates independently of the Big Boy Restaurant Group.[234]

Southeast Asia and Western Pacific

In 2019, Singapore-based Destination Eats signed a franchise agreement with the Big Boy Restaurant Group to initially open restaurants in Thailand,[235] and later in Australia, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines.[236] In May 2020, the first Thai Big Boy restaurant opened in Bangkok, operated as a delivery only service due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[237] A second restaurant was opened in Pattaya in October 2020.[238] The company is obligated to open 70 restaurants in its overall territory.[239]

A previous franchise briefly operated at the beginning of the 21st century with three Big Boy restaurants in Bangkok and one in the southern beach town of Pattaya, but the business ultimately failed because the native Thai customers did not understand nor appreciate American-style food at that time.[240] The restaurants adapted the menu to local tastes. Some Thai customers regarded the Big Boy statues as religious icons or had superstitions about them.[240] [241]

Big Boy Restaurants International

The previous Michigan-based owner of the Big Boy chain, which chiefly franchised previous Elias Brothers Big Boy restaurants in Michigan, has suffered a gradual loss of franchised restaurants. About 175 Big Boys existed in July 2006,[242] compared to 76 in July 2019.

On April 16, 2017, the last Big Boy restaurant in the city of Detroit closed.[243] The Big Boy in Fenton, Michigan, was expected to close in 2017.[244] Both properties have been sold to developers. Likewise, in 2016, the Jackson, Michigan, Big Boy closed after the site was purchased by a developer.

Other franchisees simply left the Big Boy chain. In April 2017, the Danville Big Boy, the only unit in Illinois, dropped Big Boy and rebranded as the Border Cafe.[245] In 2016 both the Ann Arbor, Michigan, restaurant (on North Zeeb Road)[246] and the restaurant in Houghton Lake, Michigan continued to operate but not as Big Boy restaurants.[247] The Tecumseh[248] and Alma, Michigan[249] restaurants announced they will allow their franchise agreements to expire on November 1, 2017, and early 2018, respectively, and both will continue to operate independently. The Marine City, Michigan Big Boy closed in February 2018, to reopen independently by a new owner.[250] However, in the same month, Big Boy added a new franchisee, an existing restaurant reopening as a Big Boy, in Woodhaven, Michigan.[251] In April 2018, the Coldwater, Michigan location closed, media sources noting multiple health code violations and poor customer reviews.[252] [253]

Company-owned restaurants have also closed for under-performance.[254] [255] [256]

Big Boy Restaurant Group

In 2018, Big Boy was sold to a group of Michigan investors and renamed Big Boy Restaurant Group. The company moved its headquarters from Warren to nearby Southfield in 2020.[257]

In August 2020, a partnership was announced with Terrible Herbst to expand into Southern Nevada.[258] On November 8, 2020, the first Big Boy restaurant opened in Indian Springs, Nevada.[259] A second Big Boy opened in May 2022 in the Centennial Hills neighborhood of Las Vegas;[260] called Big Boy Tavern, it includes a bar and small casino area.[261] [262] In June 2021, it was reported that a Big Boy restaurant will open on July 14, 2021, in Germantown, Wisconsin, a Milwaukee suburb. The franchisees will also operate two Big Boy food trucks and plan to open additional Big Boy restaurants in southeastern Wisconsin over a three-year period.[263] [264] The grand opening was pushed back to July 21 due to equipment shipping delays.[265]

Big Boy Restaurants International tried a new fast casual concept known as Big Boy's Burgers and Shakes. The restaurant opened in 2016 in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, operated in strip mall instead of a larger traditional stand-alone building.[266] [267] The restaurant was closed by January 2020.[268] [269]

In November 2020, the Big Boy restaurant in Sandusky, Michigan was stripped of its franchise when it refused to comply with Michigan's COVID-19 restrictions. It now operates as Sandusky Family Diner.[270] [271]

In June 2023, Big Boy began to open restaurants with no table service and a fast-food menu and, harkening to their origin, called them Bob's Big Boy. The first two locations announced are in Michigan in the Detroit suburb of Farmington[272] and Lansing.[273]

See also

Further reading

External links

Official Big Boy company sites
Other sites

Notes and References

  1. News: Barbara . Slavin . Drive-ins and carhops are things of the past . The Day . New London, CT . 5 . The New York Times Service. August 9, 1978 . April 14, 2015 .
  2. Web site: "Big Boy" . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20211209015806/https://www.bigboy.com/ . 2021-12-09 . Big Boy Restaurants.
  3. News: Bob's home of the 'Big Boy' [Advertisement]]. June 29, 1961. Valley News. December 10, 2017. Van Nuys, CA. 38B. Newspapers.com.
  4. News: New Big Boy ownership moves forward on comeback, but not without some bumps . Annalise . Frank . January 16, 2020 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20200116160338/https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/new-big-boy-ownership-moves-forward-comeback-not-without-some-bumps . 2020-01-16 . live . subscription.
  5. Web site: Locations. April 24, 2024. Big Boy.
  6. Web site: Locations. April 24, 2024. Big Boy Thailand.
  7. "Transfer Agreement between The Liggett Restaurant Group and Frisch's Restaurants, Inc. ", January 12, 2001.
  8. "Agreement Regarding Use of Trademarks", November 7, 2007.
  9. News: Ohio turf gets larger for Frisch's. Biank-Fasig. Lisa. January 10, 2001. Cincinnati Enquirer. Craig Maier, chief executive of Frisch's, said the bankruptcy nearly cost the Cincinnati company its right to franchise Big Boys.
    'In a bankruptcy proceeding, franchise contracts are considered to be no different than a contract to owe money,' Mr. Maier said. 'They could have said, "You are no longer franchisee of the Big Boy system.. September 5, 2016.
  10. ...
    • Web site: Big Boy Restaurant & Bakery/Frisch's Big Boy . Nation's Restaurant News . June 15, 2015 . The Big Boy system has restaurants operated by and franchised to others by Big Boy Restaurants International LLC and Frisch's Restaurants Inc. ... Headquarters: Big Boy Restaurants International LLC – Warren, Mich./Frisch's Restaurants Inc. – Cincinnati, Ohio ... CEO: Big Boy International – Keith Sirois/Frisch's – Craig F. Maier.
    • Order of United States Patent and Trademark Office, Concurrent Use Proceeding Number 94002189, Big Boy Restaurants International, LLC and Frisch's Restaurants, Inc. August 18, 2009.
    • News: Here's what's different about the Fountain Square Frisch's. Setters. Andrew. June 6, 2018. WLWT. June 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180609061337/http://www.wlwt.com/article/heres-whats-different-about-the-fountain-square-frischs/21097468. June 9, 2018. live. en.
    • News: A Green Township Frisch's closes its doors. Key. Jennie. August 27, 2018. Cincinnati Enquirer. September 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180904044123/https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/green-township/2018/08/27/frischs-closes-green-township-location/1108763002/?from=new-cookie. September 4, 2018. live. en.
  11. . Frisch's Restaurants Announces Transaction with Affiliate of NRD Partners I, L.P. at $34 Per Share . Cincinnati . Frisch's Restaurants . PR Newswire . May 22, 2015 . May 28, 2015 . Agreement Contemplates Continued Operation of all 95 Company Owned Frisch's Restaurants along with 26 Franchised Locations.
  12. News: When Bob's Was the Big Hangout. Rasmussen. Cecilia. November 2, 2003. Los Angeles Times. September 13, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150603055337/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/nov/02/local/me-then2. June 3, 2015. en-US. 0458-3035. 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..
  13. News: August 20, 2000 . Obituary: William D. Peters / President of Eat'n Park restaurant . The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . 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. . December 13, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131213042837/http://old.post-gazette.com/obituaries/20000820peters4.asp . dead . Note: it is a federal trademark which requires a national presence and which Wian sought.
  14. News: January 28, 1968 . Shoney's Chain Growing Across 10-State Region . 87 . Charleston Gazette-Mail . newspaperarchive. September 20, 2017 .
  15. News: Shaw . Richard . April 26, 2007 . Big Boy returns for a celebration . The Sun Advocate . Price, Utah . Birthdays . September 20, 2017 . NewsBank. subscription. [O]ther than the restaurants he controlled directly, Wian didn'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..
  16. News: Richard Woodruff Dies at 54; Model for 'Big Boy' Statues . The New York Times . October 28, 1986 . October 3, 2012.
  17. News: Now your enjoy the famous Parkette Foods in downtown Charleston [advertisement]]. March 13, 1953. Charleston Daily Mail. 20. September 16, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  18. News: Marriott. Karin. Big Boy's Back: 16-foot statue of restaurant icon occupies rightful place. September 16, 2005. The Press-Enterprise. September 7, 2017. B01. NewsBank. subscription.
  19. Book: Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age. Jakle. John A.. Sculle. Keith A.. January 1, 2002. JHU Press. 9780801869204. 77. en.
  20. Web site: A Big Boy Battle. Upstart Business Journal. https://web.archive.org/web/20161005085948/http://upstart.bizjournals.com/news/wire/2009/10/02/shoneys-founders-daughter-michigan-restaurant-chain-battle-over-big-boy-monument.html?page=all. October 5, 2016. live. February 16, 2016.
  21. News: Big Boy Statue Either Art or Advertising. The Washington Post. April 18, 2004. February 16, 2016. 0190-8286. en-US.
  22. News: An end in Sight, Big Boy to Stay. Maliszewski. Joanne. July 11, 2004. February 16, 2016. Canton Observer. 1. Canton, MI.
  23. . . .
    • Web site: Big Boy sign comes down. June 8, 2015. Daily Press & Argus, livingstondaily.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20170502101643/http://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/community/brighton/2015/06/05/big-boy-sign/28556781/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=. May 2, 2017. live. February 16, 2016.
    • Web site: Big Boy in Brighton reopens. August 2, 2015. Daily Press & Argus, livingstondaily.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20170502070318/http://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/community/brighton/2015/08/02/big-boy-reopens/30965879/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=. May 2, 2017. live. February 16, 2016.
  24. . . .
  25. Web site: Frisch's Big Boy Back at Great American Ballpark!. www.frischs.com. February 16, 2016. Frisch's is looking forward to operating its two concession booths inside Great American Ballpark.... There is a highly visible 6' 6" Big Boy statue dressed as a 1970s Cincinnati Reds ball player sporting #46 just in front of the Gapper's Alley booth.. February 11, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160211211245/http://www.frischs.com/community.aspx. dead.
  26. Book: Pohlen, Jerome. Oddball Michigan: A Guide to 450 Really Strange Places. Chicago Review Press. 2014. 9781613748930. 95. en. mdy.
  27. Web site: Mammal Statues. RoadsideArchitecture.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20150330022659/http://www.roadarch.com/critters/mam4.html. March 30, 2015. live. May 27, 2017. mdy.
  28. Web site: Google Maps. November 2016. Google Maps. May 27, 2017.
  29. Book: Francaviglia, Richard V.. Main Street Revisited: Time, Space, and Image Building in Small-Town America. June 1, 1996. University of Iowa Press. 9781587290718. 126. en.
  30. Web site: Frisch's Big Boy Loses His Checkered Pants. Weingartner-Monroe. Nancy. April 2017. FranchiseTimes.com. en. April 6, 2017.
  31. News: Frisch's serves up new Big Boy statue. Vilvens. Sheila. March 31, 2017. Cincinnati.com. April 6, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170502073731/http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/03/31/frischs-serves-up-new-big-boy-statue/99878334/. May 2, 2017. live. en.
  32. Web site: Own a Piece of Bob's Big Boy. Gluck. Marissa. August 13, 2008. Curbed LA. February 24, 2017. (Note: The "Hamburger" Bob is the older 1950s style and the "Suspender" Bob is the newer style.)
  33. News: Don't trash it, frame it!. Herron. Frank. September 25, 2005. Syracuse Post Standard. February 24, 2017. H4. newspaperarchive.com.
  34. . . .
    • Web site: Gifts. Big Boy Restaurants. May 9, 2016.
    • Web site: Bob's Big Boy Bank. Bob's Big Boy. May 9, 2016. April 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160422153751/http://www.bobs.net/products/memoribilia/bobs-big-boy-bank. dead.
  35. Web site: Bobs Big Boy Vintage Ashtray. July 29, 2015. Worthpoint. March 8, 2017.
  36. Web site: Rare Ceramic Big Boy Figural Salt & Pepper Shakers from the 1950s/1960s. eBay. https://web.archive.org/web/20170309005922/http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Ceramic-Big-Boy-Figural-Salt-amp-Pepper-Shakers-from-the-1950s-1960s-/111558438182. March 9, 2017. March 8, 2017.
  37. Web site: Big Boy Pewter Figurine Statue Collector Series #2 Ltd Ed of 500 "1956". eBay. https://web.archive.org/web/20170309010539/http://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Boy-Pewter-Figurine-Statue-Collector-Series-2-Ltd-Ed-of-500-1956-/162393325996. March 9, 2017. March 8, 2017.
  38. . . .
  39. News: After 40 years, remembering the enchanted era of Eat'n Park. Bennett. Marcia. June 6, 1989. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 2, 2018. 21, 23. [C]hildren could enroll in the Big Boy Club and on Christmas and their birthdays receive a token that could be redeemed at the restaurant for a Big Boy burger. Later the restaurant offered a kiddies' comic book, which contained coded messages the youngsters could decipher if they sent for their Big Boy decoder.. Newspapers.com. Part 2
  40. . . .
    • Web site: National Big Boy Club Member Blue. Busy Beaver Button Museum. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20180603062935/http://www.buttonmuseum.org/buttons/national-big-boy-club-member-blue. June 3, 2018. live. June 3, 2018.
    • Web site: National Big Boy Club. Busy Beaver Button Museum. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20180603063817/http://www.buttonmuseum.org/buttons/national-big-boy-club. June 3, 2018. live. June 3, 2018.
    • Web site: Big Boy Club. September 23, 2011. Matthew's Island of Misfit Toys. June 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180603064433/https://mattsko.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/big-boy-club/. June 3, 2018. live. en-US.
  41. News: Bye-bye, Big Boy: Comic creator loses meal ticket. Grantham. Loretta. October 20, 1996. The Palm Beach Post. December 5, 2017. 1D, 5D. Newspapers.com. (continued page 5D)
  42. News: POV: Manny Stallman. Evanier. Mark. July 25, 1997. Comics Buyer's Guide. April 8, 2017. en-US.
  43. Web site: Marvel Mysteries and Comics Minutiae: Sol Brodsky, Big Boy and Marvel's Unknown 1960s comics (Updated). Caputo. Nick. June 7, 2012. Marvel Mysteries and Comics Minutiae. April 8, 2017.
  44. Web site: The Humble History of The Adventures of Big Boy. McCabe. Caitlin. June 24, 2016. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. en-US. April 8, 2017.
  45. Book: Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book. Raphael. Jordan. Spurgeon. Tom. August 28, 2004. Chicago Review Press. 9781556525414. 73. en. ...by 1961, [Lee] was in his fifth year of scripting duties for Sol Brodsky on a series of giveaway comic books for the Big Boy restaurant chain.. Google Books.
  46. News: Big Boy cartoonist Manny Stallman dies here at 70. July 11, 1997. J. April 8, 2017.
  47. Web site: Bob Bindig. November 29, 2007. Lambiek Comiclopedia. April 16, 2017. In 1985, Bindig retired from his advertising career to take over 'The Adventures of the Big Boy'. He drew the series until 1995, when he really retired..
  48. Web site: Adventures of the Big Boy Cover Gallery. www.comics.org. April 9, 2017.
  49. Book: Thompson, Maggie. Comics Shop. September 27, 2010. Adams Media. 978-1440216503. 187. en.
  50. News: Oldest and Biggest Comic Book Turning 25. December 11, 1980. The Lewiston (Maine) Daily Sun. 88. 27. March 23, 2016. Google News Archive.
  51. Web site: Restaurant icon Big Boy shrinks from competition. Zarrella. John. September 24, 1996. CNN. https://web.archive.org/web/20020814214937/http://www.cnn.com/US/9609/24/bigboy/. August 14, 2002. live. April 14, 2017.
  52. Web site: Big Boy Magazine, YOE Studio!, 1997 Series. April 25, 2015. Grand Comics Database. March 23, 2018.
  53. News: Burgers - Big Boy. Big Boy. April 8, 2017. en-US. April 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170409021634/http://www.bigboy.com/food/burgers/. dead.
  54. Web site: Vintage famous Bob's Big Boy menu 1938 Burbank CA #42474613. WorthPoint. December 28, 2016.
  55. Web site: US Inflation Calculator. US Inflation Calculator. en-US. April 22, 2018.
  56. http://www.bigboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Wyandotte-Carry-Out-B.pdf Big Boy take out menu
  57. News: The Big Mac: Americana on a sesame-seed bun. Wallace. Amy. December 31, 1993. Tallahassee Democrat. February 7, 2018. Los Angeles Times. Other. 3A. Newspapers.com.
  58. News: Burger Chef has something big for big appetites. Big Shef. [advertisement]]. September 26, 1979. The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 4, 2018. E-12. Newspapers.com.
  59. Web site: Burger King Resurrects Big Mac Clone, Complete With Third Bun. Quirk. Mary Beth. November 5, 2013. Consumerist. February 10, 2017.
  60. Web site: Big King. Burger King (Canada). en. February 10, 2017.
  61. News: Tucson To Tumwater: Tummy Teasers Are Twins. Brown. Mary. February 15, 1969. February 16, 2017. newspaperarchive.com. Tucson Daily Citizen.
  62. News: Menu. Frisch's Big Boy. May 20, 2016. May 18, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160518051418/http://www.frischs.com/menu/menu.aspx. dead.
  63. News: Elby's Specials This Week. January 22, 1983. Altoona Mirror. Altoona, Pennsylvania. 26. May 20, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  64. Web site: Buckeyes and Burgers -- A long, fulfilling relationship. July 17, 2007. cleveland.com. May 21, 2016. The closest might be the Superburger of Eat'n Park, which was once essentially the Manners of Pittsburgh, complete with carhops and franchised Big Boy..
  65. News: Local Lendy's Gets Going. April 10, 1969. The Radford News Journal. 2. Featured on the menu will be the famous "Buddy Boy" double-deck hamburger .... November 10, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  66. . . .
  67. . . .
  68. News: Classic Comeback [Advertisement]]. September 18, 1995. Gettysburg Times. A10. Re-introducing Shoney's Classic Double Decker Burger Meal. November 10, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  69. Web site: Food. Big Boy. en-US. May 20, 2016. May 14, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160514224955/http://www.bigboy.com/food/. dead.
  70. News: Big New Big Boy Restaurant. Floury. Bob. February 6, 1972. Star News. February 27, 2017. Pasadena, CA. A8. newspaperarchive.com.
  71. Web site: The Elby's Empire: Part 2 – 9 Steps. Novotney. Steve. February 6, 2016. Weelunk. en-US. February 26, 2017.
  72. Smalley . Alfred E. . 1947 . Car Hop . telefilm recording . June 12, 2018 . mp4 . Glendale, California.
  73. News: 18th Bob's Big Boy Coffee Shop Opens . Press Telegram . Long Beach, CA . April 11, 1963 . P 3 Z 1–2–3–4–5 . NewspaperArchive.com . November 4, 2017 . ...all personnel go through extensive training before being placed in one of the restaurants. 'In fact,' Wian said, 'most managers start in the dish room or as fountain boys.' This method, Wian feels, offers the employees a complete background which thereby brings better service and quality control to the customer..
  74. News: Robert C. Wian, Founder of Bob's Big Boy, Dies at 77 . . April 1, 1992 . Matt . Lait.
  75. News: Trade winds. September 29, 1965. The Salt Lake Tribune. June 2, 2018. Today in business. 24. Newspapers.com. Robert C. Wian. founder and president of the national chain of Big Boy Restaurants, will arrive in Salt Lake City Sunday as part of a cross-country tour of Big Boy franchises..
  76. News: Shoney's going after new markets. Silverstein. Stuart. May 20, 1984. The Atlanta Constitution. April 22, 2018. 1–K, 6–K, 7–K. Newspapers.com. 'No one says they're going to Shoney's Big Boy Restaurant. They say they're going to Shoney's,' said Ray Danner, the company's company's chairman and chief executive officer. Gary P. Spoleta, Shoney's 40-year-old president and chief operating officer, added, 'We got no service or anything (from Marriott) and we were paying $2 million-plus (annually) in franchise fees.'. part 2, part 3
  77. News: Chubby 'Big Boy' May Disappear as Restaurant Changes . . March 18, 1988 . Keith . Bradsher . Salt Lake City-based JB's Restaurants announced that after this summer it would no longer use the [Big Boy] name on its 110 restaurants in 10 Western states, not including California. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Clark D. Jones said the company ... felt it was getting very little for its franchise fee payments..
  78. News: New 'Bob's' Opens Tuesday: California's Fanciest Hamburger Joint newest 'Home of the Big Boy' . Advertisement . Los Angeles Times . April 15, 1956 . G8 . Newspapers.com . His original capital was $300....
  79. News: Behind-the-scenes tour of Frisch's Commissary provides tasty preview of chain's Founder's Day. Cunningham. Libby. April 25, 2013. WCPO TV-9. February 10, 2017. en-US. That sense of pride fills the Frisch's Commissary, where workers prepare everything from pie crusts to sandwich spices and fresh hamburgers that will be shipped out to Frisch's 93 restaurants in Columbus, Dayton, Louisville, Lexington and of course, Cincinnati.. September 6, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170906181323/http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/behind-the-scenes-tour-of-frischs-commissary-provides-tasty-preview-of-chains-founders-day. dead.
  80. Elias Bros. Restaurants v. Treasury Department . 549 . N.W.2d . 837 . Food for both company-owned and franchised restaurants is produced at a facility called the Commissary, which Elias Brothers owns and operates. . Mich. . 1996 . September 6, 2017. http://law.justia.com/cases/michigan/supreme-court/1996/101226-6.html.
  81. News: John C. . Eagan . Drive-ins give way to fast food, counter operations . The Day . New London, CT . 18 . Associated Press . November 17, 1976 . April 14, 2015 .
  82. News: Bob's launches junior version. February 23, 1971. Valley News. February 9, 2018. Van Nuys, California. West. 21–A. newspapers.com.
  83. News: Shoney's Jr. is now open... [advertisement]]. August 26, 1966. The Charleston Daily Mail. February 9, 2018. 11. Newspapers.com.
  84. News: J.B.'s Opens 2 'Junior' Drive-Ins . Deseret News . Salt Lake City . 10B . September 19, 1969 . April 14, 2015 .
  85. News: Weekend Special! [Advertisement]]. August 23, 1968. Manitowoc Herald Times. 5. November 4, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  86. News: A Good Idea for the Hungry Hunter [Advertisement]]. October 19, 1957. Billings Gazette. 2. November 4, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  87. News: Business beat. May 27, 2006. The Bismarck Tribune. November 6, 2016.
  88. . . .
  89. . . .
  90. News: Bob's Fried Chicken Special [Advertisement]]. January 5, 1979. Los Angeles Times. May 19, 2019. IV-24. Newspapers.com.
  91. News: Hot Shoppes Picnic to Go-Go [Advertisement]]. June 12, 1965. The Salt Lake Tribune. May 19, 2019. 11. Newspapers.com.
  92. News: Super Season Special: Taste the difference fresh makes. June 26, 1978. The Pittsburgh Press. May 19, 2019. C-5. Newspapers.com.
  93. News: A Thanksgiving Menu That's Really Stuffed! [Advertisement]]. November 25, 1986. The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 19, 2019. A-10. Newspapers.com.
  94. Web site: [Big Boy Progress Image at] Janies's Big Boy Webpage: Big Boy Family Newsletter ]. Glassett . Janie . https://web.archive.org/web/20080719175955/http://members.aol.com/Pugwm/familynews.html . July 19, 2008 . dead . February 11, 2013.
  95. News: Elby's rejoins Big Boy franchise system. The Doylestown Intelligencer . August 19, 1988. B-9. September 6, 2017. [T]he entire chain is being united under the Big Boy name, which means our Elby's name, as well as all other franchise names, will eventually be phased out...The chain is also moving toward a consistent core menu. This means that all Big Boys across the country will offer the same basic items, along with certain regional favorites.. newspaper archive.
  96. News: Sign of the times. The Grand Blanc News. September 19, 2004. GB-4. September 9, 2017. The Elias Brothers sign at the corner of Grand Blanc Road and Saginaw Street in Grand Blanc comes down after more than 30 years. [T]he national Big Boy chain ... no longer wants to be referred to as Elias Brothers, and it wants all of its signs to have the same look.. Newsbank. subscription.
  97. Frisch's Restaurant, Inc. v. Shoney's Inc.. 6th Cir.. F.2d. 759. 1261. 1265-6. 1985. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/759/1261/260084/. In the case at bar, the district court concluded that the "Big Boy" mark was neither an indicator of origin nor distinctive, but was "a relatively weak mark". ... By emphasizing "Shoney's Big Boy Restaurants", as it did in its advertising, Shoney's has identified itself as the source of the services.. March 2, 2013.
  98. Web site: Tawas Bay Big Boy. Tawas Bay Big Boy. March 22, 2016.
  99. . . .
    • Web site: Bismarck Big Boy Restaurant. BisManCafe. March 22, 2016. continue to offer distinctions from the standard Big Boy menu.
    • News: Around the Mountain State . Point Pleasant Register . August 4, 1988 . 14 . June 27, 2013 . [A]ll restaurants in the chain will operate under the Big Boy name with standardized menus across the nation. Individual franchise names will be phased out gradually. .
    • Web site: Menu. Bob's Big Boy. March 22, 2016.
    • Web site: Menu. Frisch's Big Boy. March 22, 2016. March 21, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160321080136/http://www.frischs.com/menu/menu.aspx. dead.
    • Web site: Big Boy Restaurant menu: Bismarck, ND. All Menus. March 22, 2016.
    • Web site: Food. Big Boy. en-US. March 22, 2016. March 27, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160327235834/http://www.bigboy.com/food/. dead.
  100. Web site: Big Boy Restaurants Int'l. Franchise Information. Entrepreneur. en. March 27, 2017.
  101. Web site: Bob's Big Boy FAQ's. BigBoy.com. March 27, 2017. December 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191202050302/https://www.bigboy.com/franchise-faq.pdf. dead.
  102. Web site: Big Boy Franchise Management Franchise Agreement. 2012. Franchise-Info,ca. 8–9. March 27, 2017.
  103. Web site: Franchise Frequently Asked Questions. Frisch's Big Boy. en-US. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200401042209/https://www.frischs.com/franchise/faqs/. April 1, 2020. April 1, 2020. The franchise fee for single restaurant is $45,000. The franchise fee for multi-restaurant franchise development is $40,000 per restaurant..
  104. Web site: Frisch's At-A-Glance. frischs.com. March 27, 2017. March 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170328105514/http://www.frischs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/PressKit.pdf. dead.
  105. News: George Abdow, co-founder of Springfield-area Abdow's Big Boy restaurant chain, dies at 82 . The Republican . Springfield, MA . May 29, 2013 . August 2, 2013.
  106. News: Abdow Brothers Cooking Up a Success. Hyland. John. August 4, 1984. Hartford Courant. June 17, 2019. F8. [T]he Abdows bought their Big Boy franchise in 1963... The Abdows are scheduled to open their 16th Big Boy restaurant and sixth in Connecticut on Route 44 in Avon on Monday.. Newspapers.com.
  107. News: Abdow's bids Big Boy adieu. April 15, 1994. The Berkshire Eagle. June 17, 2019. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. C5. Newspapers.com.
  108. News: Big Boy Bounced from New England . Kingman Daily Miner . Kingman, AZ . April 15, 1994 . 1 . June 14, 2013.
  109. News: From the archives: Nostalgia on the menu. July 22, 2019. The News & Advance. July 23, 2019. Lynchburg, VA.
  110. . . .
  111. News: Formal Opening. August 13, 1970. April 29, 2016. Valparaiso, Indiana. 20. Azar's was started in Fort Wayne in 1953.... newspaperarchive.com. Valparaiso Vidette Messenger.
  112. News: Cherubic Big Boy Caught in a Pickle . subscription . NewsBank . Keith . Leininger . News-Sentinel . Fort Wayne . December 6, 1984 . October 22, 2017.
  113. News: Azars shifting family business from food to property. Wyche. Paul. December 1, 2013. The Journal Gazette. September 9, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20140418234146/http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20131201/LOCAL/312019943/-1/vid. April 18, 2014. dead. Fort Wayne Newspapers. Fort Wayne.
  114. Web site: Shelley. Jonathan. 2020-06-08. Azar's Big Boy notifies workers of permanent closure. 2020-06-25. Fort Wayne's NBC. en-US. June 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200627165810/https://fortwaynesnbc.com/2020/06/08/azars-big-boy-notifies-workers-of-permanent-closure/. dead.
  115. News: Cornwell. Alex. June 19, 2020. Azar's Big Boy will not reopen. The Waynedale News. Fort Wayne. live. June 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200625073727/https://waynedalenews.com/2020/06/azars-big-boy-will-not-reopen/. June 25, 2020.
  116. News: Bob's Big Boy restaurant holds opening ceremony. June 25, 1965. Van Nuys News. December 13, 2017. Central. 21–A. Newspaperarchive.com.
  117. News: Becker's Grand Opening [Advertisement]]. August 31, 1956. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. December 5, 2017. 8–9. Newspapers.com.
  118. News: Auction: By order of the Board of Directors, Becker's Big Boy Inc. [Legal Advertisement]]. September 14, 1965. Democrat and Chronicle. December 17, 2017. Rochester. 7C. Newspapers.com.
  119. News: Charleston Drive-In Zooms To Huge 10-State Business. Schaffer. Frank. April 17, 1962. Charleston Daily Mail. 12, 17. "Then came the expansion outside West Virginia with franchised stores. Before 1956, Shoney's restaurants were operating in Richmond, Salem, Hampton, Norfolk and Newport News, Va., Rochester, N. Y., Philadelphia, Chattanooga, Charlotte and Wheeling [WV]... [I]n 1958, the expansion continued. Three openings were held in Roanoke, one in Lynchburg, and five in Nashville.". newspaperarchive.com. February 26, 2013. In this list, the Rochester franchise is Becker's, the Wheeling franchise is Elby's, the Philadelphia franchises are Tune's and Arnold's, the Chattanooga franchise is Shap's, and the Roanoke, Virginia franchises are Lendy's and Yoda's.
  120. News: Year–round drive–in service at your favorite Becker's Big Boy [advertisement]]. November 28, 1957. Democrat and Chronicle. March 20, 2018. Rochester, New York. 24E. 975 Ridge Rd. East, 1280 Buffalo Rd.... 814 Brown St., 2947 Monroe Ave.. Newspapers.com.
  121. News: Out of the Past: Johnson's Drive-In, Route 5 in Athol Springs, 1957. Baker. Jim. March 18, 2010. The Sun. Hamburg (NY). 12. The Johnson family continued to run the business until 1959 ... When the Johnson's left the business, they sold out to the Becker family of Rochester who owned the "Big Boy" franchise restaurants. They had successful restaurants in Buffalo, but for whatever reason, they never re-opened the former drive-in at the circle. It is believed that they tried to expand too fast and fell on hard financial times.. April 12, 2013.
  122. News: JB's Restaurant being demolished, property listed for $1.2 million . Amanda . Rickner . Bozeman Daily Chronicle . Pioneer News Group . Bozeman MT . March 15, 2012 . October 8, 2013 . The restaurant was constructed in the early 1970s, according to city building records. For a time, it was a Bud's Big Boy restaurant before becoming JB's..
  123. News: Rochester . Helen . August 9, 1978 . Lunch in Westmount: Modified Big Boy is no treat . The [Montreal] Gazette . Southam Press . April 14, 2014.
  124. News: No Big Boy in St. Albans this year. May 31, 1984. The Burlington Free Press. March 11, 2018. 2. Newspapers.com.
  125. News: 2 for 1 special [advertisement]]. May 30, 1984. The Burlington Free Press. March 11, 2018. 7B. newspapers.com.
  126. News: You just can't stop yourself [advertisement]]. April 20, 1986. The Burlington Free Press. March 11, 2018. 8D. Newspapers.com.
  127. News: Downtown Wendy's opening delayed by design. Debbie. Salomon. July 9, 1991. The Burlington Free Press. March 11, 2018. 1D. newspapers.com.
  128. News: Eat'n Park in high gear. McKay. Jim. June 6, 1989. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 2, 2018. 13, 15. Eat'n Park dropped the Big Boy franchise in 1975. Newspapers.com. Part 1
  129. "Peters, co-founder of Eat'n Park, dead at 87", Nation's Restaurant News, August 28, 2000.
  130. News: Obituary: William D. Peters / President of Eat'n Park restaurants . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . August 20, 2000 . February 15, 2013 . December 13, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131213042837/http://old.post-gazette.com/obituaries/20000820peters4.asp . dead .
  131. Kapner, Suzanne, "After 46 years, Eat'n Park still revs sales, appetites", Nation's Restaurant News, September 18, 1995.
  132. News: Elby's given rights to franchise. March 20, 1979. The Times Recorder. December 2, 2017. Zanesville, Ohio. 14. Newspapers.com.
  133. News: Friendly, Elby deal called off. August 3, 1986. The Boston Globe. August 27, 2019. United Press International. 84. [Elby's] includes 70 restaurants In West Virginia, Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and Maryland.. Newspapers.com.
  134. Web site: The Elby's Empire: Part 4 - My Elby's. Novotney. Steve. March 5, 2016. Weelunk. en-US. February 10, 2017.
  135. News: and... NOW THERE ARE 3 Elby's [advertisement]]. March 28, 1960. Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian. 7. July 30, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  136. News: Advertisement: Grand opening our 16th special. January 11, 1971. The Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian. 9. September 7, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  137. News: Narcotics Evidence Is Found Illegal. August 1, 1973. Cumberland Evening Times. 27. September 7, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  138. Frisch's Restaurant, Inc. v. Elby's Big Boy . 661 . F.Supp. . 971 . S.D. Ohio, E.D. . 1987 . http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/661/971/2372457/ . December 6, 2014.
  139. News: Harvilla. Michael. October 9, 2000. Boury Says He Is Sad to See Big Boys Leave. 16. The Intelligencer. Business. Wheeling, WV. August 12, 2021.
  140. . . .
    • News: Elby's franchise switch makes it Shoney's today. Amatos. Christopher A.. April 2, 1989. Columbus Dispatch. Newsbank. subscription. 7D. Shoney's, ironically, ... has never been in Columbus because of restrictions imposed by the Big Boy system, of which Shoney's was once a member. West Virginia-based Elby's also was once a Big Boy franchise..
    • News: Franchisee's 9 Shoney's Restaurants in area up for sale. March 25, 1993. Columbus Dispatch. September 8, 2017. Newsbank. 1G. subscription. The nine units consist of seven in Columbus and one each in Newark and Heath..
    • News: Owner closes five area JT's Restaurants. Amatos. Christopher A.. August 5, 1993. Columbus Dispatch. September 8, 2017. Newsbank. 1B. subscription. In May [Boury Enterprises] dropped the Shoney's franchise and converted six of the nine units to JT's Family Restaurants. It sold three closed restaurants to Shoney's.... Shoney's said that it plans to reopen in November, December and January the three stores it purchased..
  141. News: Elby's rejoins Big Boy chain. August 3, 1988. Observer Reporter. Washington, PA. C-6. Google news. February 14, 2013.
  142. News: Elby's Big Boy Strawberry Festival (Advertisement). April 26, 1994. Observer Reporter. Washington, PA. B-2. Google news. February 14, 2013.
  143. . . .
    • News: Elby's Opens in Scranton. December 23, 1969. The Weirton Daily Times. November 10, 2016. Thompson - Brush - Moore Newspapers. 5. newspaperarchive.com.
    • News: Opens 16th Elby's. September 7, 1970. The Gettysburg Times. November 10, 2016. 3. newspaperarchive.com.
    • News: Former Friendly's sold to investors. Dino. Jim. August 28, 2015. Standard Speaker. November 10, 2016. Times-Shamrock Communications. Hazelton, PA. In the late 1970s, Marvin Franklin changed 13 Elby's restaurants he owned in Pennsylvania and elsewhere on the East Coast into Franklin's Family Restaurants, with a menu similar to its predecessor..
  144. News: Briley. Kathie. September 27, 1975. Elby's Sued for $5 Million. 4. The Intelligencer. Wheeling, WV. August 14, 2021.
  145. News: Briley. Kathie. October 29, 1975. Elby's Denies Charges. 10. The Intelligencer. Wheeling, WV. August 14, 2021.
  146. News: July 18, 1978. Boury Settles Out of Court. 13. The Intelligencer. Wheeling, WV. August 14, 2021.
  147. News: Attention All Grade School Students [Advertisement]]. January 16, 1976. The Times-Tribune. May 11, 2019. Scranton, PA. Franklin's Family Restaurants (Formerly Elby's). Newspapers.com.
  148. News: Title Transfer. January 28, 1977. Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. May 11, 2019. 3. Several Elby's Restaurants have been changed to Franklin's Family Restaurants.... Newspapers.com.
  149. News: Elby's Plans 8 Restaurants In The Area. August 30, 1978. Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. May 11, 2019. 3. [A] court settlement ... resulted in cancellation of contracts between Elby's and Marvin Franklin... The U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., has prohibited Franklin from using the registered trademarks "Elby's" and "Big Boy,".... In addition, Franklin's organization was directed to return all originals and copies of Elby's and Boury Inc.'s recipes, food formulas, manuals, bulletin books, advertising materials and other plan's to Elby's, .... Franklin's organization also agreed not to produce food products from Elby's and Boury Inc.'s recipes without substantial variation. Franklin and his organization agreed to pay "a substantial sum of money" to the Bourys as part of the Settlement.. Newspapers.com.
  150. News: Franklin Rebuked: Elby's Gets OK To Build. July 12, 1983. The Times-Tribune. May 11, 2019. Scranton, PA. 3. Newspapers.com.
  151. News: It's Sandwiches vs. Meals In Battle of Restaurants. June 28, 1983. The Times-Tribune. May 11, 2019. Scranton, PA. 15. Marvin Franklin Enterprises, Inc. ... alleges that ... a new Elby's Big Boy restaurant next to Franklin's in Chinchilla would hurt the appearance of Franklin's and damage employee morale. Marvin Franklin, ... testified that construction of a new and shiny restaurant and building next to us would make us look bad.. Newspapers.com.
  152. News: Firms agree on sale of 70 Elby's locations. April 5, 1986. The Altoona Mirror. Mirror and United Press International. D3. November 10, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  153. News: Big Boy Hamburger Now At Frejlach's . Arlington Heights Herald . Arlington Heights, IL . October 7, 1954. 12 . September 30, 2012. newspaperarchive.com.
  154. Book: 1956 Oak Park Telephone Directory. 1956. 133.
  155. News: New Owner of Big Boy Gobbles Up Franchise Rights. Kosdrosky. Terry. February 2001. Crain's Detroit Business. 7. 17. 32.
  156. Web site: Frisch's Big Boy Celebrates Founder's Day May 3 . [Official] Frisch's Big Boy of Northwest Ohio . July 29, 2013 . Toledo brothers Milton & David Bennett purchased the franchise rights to build and operate Frisch's Big Boy restaurants in Northwest Ohio. Bennett Enterprises owns and operates 13 family-style restaurants with drive-thru service under the name Frisch's Big Boy. . February 2, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202180222/http://www.frischsnwo.com/press_news_2013_May1.html . dead .
  157. News: Big Boy chain in state is sold for $2.7 million . . Phoenix . July 3, 1974 . 43 . . . JB's Big JB's Big Boy Restaurants ... is licensed to operate in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, South Dakota, Nevada, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Jersey, and in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
    In New Mexico, JB's operates as Vip's Big Boy and in Nevada as Bob's Big Boy, the same as Arizona..
  158. Big Boy Restaurants. Big Boy Restaurants 1986 50th Anniversary Western-Central US Road Map. 1986. back cover. June 27, 2013.
  159. Web site: History of Summit Family Restaurants Inc.. FundingUniverse. www.fundinguniverse.com. December 8, 2016.
  160. News: Chubby 'Big Boy' May Disappear as Restaurant Changes . Keith . Bradsher . Los Angeles Times . March 18, 1988 . October 22, 2017.
  161. Web site: Locations. JB's Restaurants. December 8, 2016. December 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220152435/http://jbsfamily.com/locations/. dead. Using Salt Lake City zip code 84101, and a 500 mile radius.
  162. January 1969 . Ken's . live . Adventures of the Big Boy. back cover. 151. Ken's. comic book . WEBS Advertising Corp.. jpg . https://web.archive.org/web/20171003013236/http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wLAAAOSwU8hY7pDC/s-l1600.jpg . October 3, 2017 . October 2, 2017 . (front cover; archive)
  163. Web site: White Log Coffee Shop, Los Angeles, CA. Pacific Coast Architecture Database. March 22, 2016. Designed for the chain of coffee shops started by Kenneth Bemis.
  164. Book: An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles. Winter. Robert. Gebhard. David. Gibbs Smith. 2009. 9781423608936. 249. en.
  165. Web site: EZ's Coffee Shop (formerly Kip's Big Boy) at Northwest Highway & Hillcrest, North Dallas To Be Demolished? . Preservation Dallas . https://web.archive.org/web/20101212071417/http://www.preservationdallas.org/new_site/issues/kipsBigboy.php . December 12, 2010 . September 9, 2016 . live .
  166. Web site: Lendy's Web Page, part 4 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110805045017/http://members.cox.net/lendys/lendys4.htm . August 5, 2011 . live .
  167. Web site: Lendy's Web Page, part 2 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110805045017/http://members.cox.net/lendys/lendys2.htm . August 5, 2011 . live .
  168. Web site: Smith. Dennis. November 20, 2013. Lendy's. September 17, 2021. That 70's Blacksburg.
  169. News: Owner Realizes Early Ambitions . Spokane Daily Chronicle . May 1, 1970 . 23 . June 14, 2013.
  170. News: Big Boy picks new directors. July 18, 1971. Provo Daily Herald. December 24, 2017. 5. Newspaperarchive.com.
  171. Web site: Restaurants. Bette Lou. Higgins. August 9, 2009. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. September 9, 2016. The first California-style drive-in in the Cleveland area, Manners Drive In, opened in 1939 (17655 Lake Shore Blvd.). It operated 7 days a week, 24 hours a day and was opened by Robert L. and Mona Manners. Manners introduced the double-decker hamburger in 1954. 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..
  172. News: Feran . Tom . September 2, 2005 . Manners Big Boy's secret is on the tip of my tongue . https://web.archive.org/web/20110419204707/http://plaindealer.com/ . April 19, 2011 . The Plain Dealer . Cleveland . Newhouse Newspapers . July 7, 2014. Alt URL
  173. News: Michigan Firm To Purchase 26 Ohio Big Boys. Akron Beacon Journal. February 16, 1985. Katie. Byard. Business. B-7. September 23, 2017. Elias Brothers Restaurants Inc.... has agreed to purchase the 26 Bob's Big Boy outlets in Northeast Ohio from owner and Big Boy franchiser Mariott Corp.... Mariott 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.. NewsBank. subscription.
  174. News: Milwaukee Welcomes BIG BOY [advertisement]]. November 21, 1958. The Milwaukee Journal. June 2, 2018. 22. A free Coca-Cola with every food order during our opening week. Just clip the Marc's symbol from this ad and turn it in with your order.. Google news.
  175. Web site: The Marcus Corporation - Company Profile on The Marcus Corporation. Reference for Business. Advameg, Inc.. November 2, 2016.
  176. News: Marcus reports 26 per cent profit increase. August 10, 1973. The Post-Crescent. June 3, 2018. Appleton, Wisconsin. B–6. Newspapers.com.
  177. News: Marcus returns to fast-food's beginnings with Big Boy Express. NewsBank. Bednarek. David J.. June 4, 1993. The Milwaukee Journal. Journal/Sentinel, Inc.. C6.
  178. News: Tehan heads foundation; Big Boy changes name. Pirkl. Tim. May 5, 1989. Wausau Daily Herald. June 3, 2018. Taking Stock. C1. Newspapers.com.
  179. News: Our Back Pages: When they locked up Big Boy. Chris. Foran. January 24, 2017. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. January 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170502101022/http://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2017/01/24/our-back-pages-when-they-locked-up-big-boy/96666878/. May 2, 2017. live.
  180. News: 'BYE, BOY Marcus selling cafes, Big Boys. NewsBank. Waterbury. Kathleen. September 14, 1994. The Milwaukee Sentinel. Journal/Sentinel Inc.. 1D.
  181. Web site: Big Boy. January 31, 2005. Wisconsin Historical Society. November 2, 2016.
  182. News: On the Burger Trail: Big Boy burger at Kil@wat. Fredrich. Lori. April 7, 2017. OnMilwaukee.com. April 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180311205840/https://onmilwaukee.com/dining/articles/on-the-burger-trail-kilawat.html. March 11, 2018. live. en.
  183. Web site: Kil@wat lunch menu. https://web.archive.org/web/20180311210003/http://www.kilawatcuisine.com/pdf-kilawat-milwaukee/lunch-sept13.pdf. March 11, 2018. live. January 24, 2017.
  184. Web site: Kil@wat dinner menu. https://web.archive.org/web/20180311210050/http://www.kilawatcuisine.com/pdf-kilawat-milwaukee/dinner-menu.pdf. March 11, 2018. live. March 8, 2017.
  185. Christenson. Ann. 2019-09-25. Restaurant Review: Aria at Saint Kate is Homey and Delicious. Milwaukee Magazine.
  186. 1960. This Comic Book is a gift from Mark's. Adventures of the Big Boy. Comic Book. 47. Back Cover. https://web.archive.org/web/20200102231332/https://www.ebay.com/itm/1960-Adventure-Big-Boy-Magazine-47-Comic-Book-Club-News-Coca-Cola-Xmas-Burger-/264515120354?hash=item3d96546ce2%3Ag%3AWRYAAOSwc8ZduIsn&nma=true&si=Fnj1YcYt9r%252BjbJ470XfawMA68B8%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557. January 2, 2020.
  187. News: Opportunity Young Men [advertisement]]. September 18, 1962. The Evening Sun. January 2, 2020. Baltimore. B 20. Newspapers.com.
  188. News: 'Big Boy' Trademark Suit Opens, Glendale Firm Asks Verdict. July 26, 1959. Pasadena. 11. newspaperarchive.com. The Independent Star News.
  189. News: Big Boy Buys Vt. Square. January 11, 1966. The Brattleboro Reformer. January 2, 2020. 5. Manford Bernhard, [is] owner of the franchise for the Big Boy restaurants in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.. Newspapers.com.
  190. Web site: New Hampshire Corporate Record: Keene Big Boy, Inc.. https://web.archive.org/web/20170502072532/https://quickstart.sos.nh.gov/online/BusinessInquire/BusinessInformation?businessID=466439. May 2, 2017. dead. February 12, 2013.
  191. Web site: (Mr. B's Image at) Janies's Big Boy Webpage . Glassett . Janie . https://web.archive.org/web/20080725232503/http://members.aol.com/Pugwm/enterprise.html . July 25, 2008 . dead . February 11, 2013.
  192. News: What Did That Building Used To Be? - Shap's . The Chattanoogan.com . July 16, 2002 . Jolley . Harmon . September 30, 2013 . May 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140501235639/http://wew.chattanoogan.com/2002/7/16/24146/What-Did-That-Building-Used-To-Be--.aspx . dead .
  193. Web site: The Parkette at the Beginning. Parkette Drive-In. December 4, 2016. Joe Smiley opened the Parkette [Drive-In] on November 11, 1951.... Joe created his own version of the Double-Decker hamburger called the 'Poor Boy'. Joe brought this burger idea with him from West Virginia.. December 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220101755/http://www.theparkette.com/history.asp. dead.
  194. Book: Shoney's Home of the Nationally Famous Big Boy [Menu]]. 1959. back cover. In West Virginia... Elby's of Wheeling - 2 locations, Elby's of Moundsville... In Virginia... Lendy's of Roanoke, Lendy's of Lynchburg, Yoda's of Roanoke. https://web.archive.org/web/20170528021000/http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHONEYS-Big-Boy-Menu-1950s-with-Menu-insert/282478019767. May 28, 2017. dead. May 28, 2017. Note: This includes a photograph of an early 1960s Shoney's menu cover, which lists then current Shoney's Big Boy restaurants including self-named subfranchises in Shoney's territory.
  195. News: Shoney's Changes Corporate Name. October 30, 1976. The Charleston Daily Mail. December 17, 2017. 5B. Our company is quite diversified within the food service business ... We believe the new name is less restrictive and more appropriate to the broader operations we have developed . Newspapers.com.
  196. . . .
    • Zuckerman . David . May 7, 1984 . Shoney's secedes from Big Boy system . Nation's Restaurant News . April 15, 2014 . dead . https://archive.today/20120708055132/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_v18/ai_3260566/ . July 8, 2012 .
    • News: Graph of Shoney's net income since 1974; At Shoney's, details count. June 8, 1984. The New York Times. 0362-4331. Shoney's started expanding outside of its franchise territory in 1982 by opening coffee shops without Big Boy markings in neighboring states. A fellow Big Boy franchisee sued to stop the move, but after Shoney's won a favorable court ruling in March, Marriott quickly agreed to scrap the franchise agreement for $13 million in cash.. November 29, 2016.
  197. Web site: Ciampa. Gail. January 29, 2021. Restaurateur, innovator and philanthropist Ted Fuller of Gregg's has died. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210719210303/https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2021/01/29/ted-fuller-who-launched-greggs-and-technology-company-has-died/4301357001/. July 19, 2021. July 19, 2021. The Providence Journal. ...he opened Ted’s Big Boy Restaurants in 1964. He ran them until he bought Gregg's in Warwick in 1972..
  198. News: April 23, 1965. Welcome to Carnston [advertisement]]. 11. The Rhode Island Herald. July 19, 2021. ...Rhode Island's own Ted Fuller was opening a spanking new BIG BOY Restaurant in Cranston, R. I..
  199. Gazda v. Kolinski. 91. A.D.2d. 860. N.Y. App. Div.. 1982. http://www.leagle.com/decision/198295191AD2d860_1406/GAZDA%20v.%20KOLINSKI?. May 26, 2017.
  200. Bernhard. K. April 1986. TJ's Big Boy Family Restaurants. live. Adventures of the Big Boy. 348. back cover. https://web.archive.org/web/20200501024346/https://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-OF-4-ADVENTURES-OF-THE-BIG-BOY-COMIC-Bobs-Marcs-1984-1986-TJs-Restaurant/333587304977?hash=item4dab5a5211:g:D4QAAOSwKlteqcJF:sc:USPSFirstClass!14075!US!-1. May 1, 2020.
  201. News: Smith. Cliff. December 19, 1992. 2 local Big Boys close; only 2 are left. 10B. Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester. May 1, 2020. Big Boys at 1405 E. Ridge Road, Irondequoit, and 1601 Penfield Road, Penfield, are closed ... Elias Brothers' Big Boy Division also closed two stores in the Syracuse area.. Newspapers.com.
  202. News: Gibbs. Stephanie. November 6, 1992. 2 Big Boy Restaurants To Close. B-6. Syracuse Post Standard. May 1, 2020. Newspaperarchive.com.
  203. News: Nedt. Bob. December 21, 1994. Corporation closes another TJ's Big Boy. Syracuse Herald Journal. Business. May 1, 2020. Newspaperarchive.com.
  204. News: Obituary: Lucian Frejlach . Oshkosh Northwestern . Gannett . February 9, 2014 . May 26, 2014.
  205. . This comic book is a gift from Tops . Adventures of the Big Boy . 126 . Q: Tops Big Boy. December 1966 . back cover imprint . Lists eight locations; six are in the Chicago metropolitan area: Norton Grove, La Grange, Aurora, Glen Ellyn, Downer's Grove, Berwyn, and the other two: Springfield, Jacksonville, are in central Illinois.
  206. Web site: Top's 1974 Big Boy Family Restaurants Menu -Wisc., Minn., Ill., Iowa. June 2, 2018. eBay. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20180603072104/https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tops-1974-Big-Boy-Family-Restaurants-Menu-Wisc-Minn-Ill-Iowa/163078390815?hash=item25f83ac41f:g:QCcAAOSwrU1bEyeE. June 3, 2018. live. June 3, 2018.
  207. News: New Chain Plans 33 Restaurants . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . June 9, 1963 . 5F . November 25, 2017 . Newspapers.com.
  208. News: Tote's Home of the Big Boy New Restaurant Opening [Advertisement]]. April 27, 1967. Saint Charles Journal. 35. November 2, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  209. News: New chain plans 33 restaurants. June 9, 1963. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 4, 2017. 5F. Newspapers.com.
  210. News: Shoney's Big Boy franchise. December 6, 1972. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 4, 2017. 11C. Newspapers.com.
  211. News: Real Estate News . The Philadelphia Inquirer . February 22, 1956 . 42 . November 4, 2017 . Newspapers.com.
  212. News: Burton May Perform Here . Jerry . Gaghan . Philadelphia Daily News . December 16, 1963 . 43 . Alex Schoenbaum ... was in to look over the 50th unit in his chain of Shoney's restaurant drive-in at Cottman Ave. and Roosevelt Blvd. Shoney's first move in linking forces with local operator Jack Engel was a remodeling and expansion of the dining room facilities. . Newspapers.com . November 24, 2017.
  213. News: Applications Now Being Taken ... (Help Wanted Advertisement) . The Philadelphia Inquirer . November 8, 1963 . 37 . ...Shoney's Restaurant (formerly Tunes Big Boy) Roosevelt Blvd. at Cottman . Newspapers.com . November 24, 2017.
  214. News: Levittown Restaurant Opens. December 7, 1957. Bristol Daily Courier. December 13, 2017. 2. Newspaperarchive.com.
  215. News: September 18, 1959 . [Advertisement] We Are Famous! ]. Philadelphia Inquirer . February 10, 2015 .
  216. News: Levittown's Newest Citizen is here [Advertisement]]. December 5, 1957. Bristol Daily Courier. 34. November 2, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  217. News: Big Boy Restaurant Discontinues Operation. April 15, 1959. Bristol Daily Courier. 3. November 2, 2016. newspaperarchive.com.
  218. News: Restaurant Chain Expands to E.P.. August 29, 1963. El Paso Herald Post. September 9, 2016. 32. VIP's Big Boy restaurants of New Mexico, Inc. today announced a merger with the Big Boy restaurant organization in El Paso, which will serve as headquarters for expansion throughout West Texas. ... The firm has taken over a restaurant at 8409 Dyer Street formerly known as Kip's Big Boy Restaurant.. newspaperarchive.com.
  219. Web site: Matchbook - Vip's Big Boy Hamburgers Cheyenne Torrington WY FULL . eBay . July 28, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150728112056/http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matchbook-Vips-Big-Boy-Hamburgers-Cheyenne-Torrington-WY-FULL-/121690863841?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c555738e1 . July 28, 2015.
  220. News: New Restaurant Is Planned Here. January 19, 1962. Albuquerque Journal. Journal Publishing Co.. Albuquerque. 2. newspaperarchive.com. October 19, 2012.
  221. News: . September 1, 1972 . JB's Big Boy Plans Fall Stock Offering . The Deseret News . Salt Lake City . 4T . July 7, 2014.
  222. News: Children's project gets $1,000 gift. August 15, 1982. Santa Fe New Mexican Sun. November 2, 2016. 4. Commenting on the name change from Vip's Big Boy to JB's Big Boy, Clark D. Jones, president of the Salt Lake City-based restaurant chain, said it was done with several new changes in the restaurants and to add more cohesiveness to the operation of the company.. newspaperarchive.com.
  223. News: VIP's officials announce sale of restaurants. June 17, 2013. The Register-Guard. August 18, 1984. Eugene, Oregon. 9B.
  224. News: March 23, 1968 . [Advertisement] Mady's Big Boy Turns Back the Clock on Food Prices! ]. The Windsor Star. D3 . July 7, 2014.
  225. McDonald's Corporation v Joburgers Drive-Inn Restaurant (Pty) Ltd. and Another; McDonald's Corporation v Dax Prop CC and Another; McDonald's Corporation v Joburgers Drive-Inn Restaurant (Pty) Ltd. and Another. ZASCA. 1996. 82. August 27, 1996. auto.
  226. News: Kent . Jack . Business Highlights: Elias Big Boy to open here . . Windsor, ON, Canada . December 26, 1973 . 20 . Google News.
  227. Web site: Executive Summary: John Bitove, Sr. . September 29, 2012.
  228. . . .
    • News: Memories of unforgettable food. Weir. Nancy. April 1, 1992. Gadsden Times. C1. [T]oday there are 963 franchise units in the United States, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. March 22, 2016.
    • News: Deal brings Big Boys to Spain, Portugal. August 17, 1993. Tallahassee Democrat. January 8, 2018. In Brief. Main. 6B. Newspapers.com.
    • News: Big Boy restaurant returns to Owosso. July 1, 1998. The Argus-Press Company. The Argus-Press. Owosso, MI. 180. 1. Today, Elias Brothers Restaurants, based in Warren, franchises nearly 900 units in the United States, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Brazil and the Philippines.. March 23, 2016. Google News Archive.
    • Big Boy sets foot on European soil. Mark. Hamstra. . May 8, 1995. 29. 19. September 7, 2017. MasterFILE Premier. subscription.
    • News: Big Boy comic book contest announced. June 20, 2001. The Argus-Press. The Argus-Press Company. Owosso, MI. 6. Big Boy Restaurants International LLC is the exclusive worldwide franchiser of more than 455 Big Boy Restaurants in the United States, Japan and Egypt.. March 23, 2016. Google News Archive.
  229. Web site: Zensho Group: Big Boy, Hamburger Steak & Grill Restaurant . Zénsho Holdings Company . December 12, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131009151203/http://www.zensho.co.jp/en/group/fr/bb.html. October 9, 2013 . dead.
  230. News: Matsutani . Minoru . January 25, 2011 . Family restaurants falling from flavor . . Tokyo . Toshiaki Ogasawara . July 7, 2014.
  231. Web site: Big Boy Japan Menu Items . Big Boy Japan . February 9, 2013.
  232. News: Daiei seen selling restaurant chains . . December 1, 2002 . .
  233. News: Daiei to sell 2 units to Zensho group . Japan Weekly Monitor . December 9, 2002 . . The Free Library.
  234. News: The Untold Truth Of Big Boy . Justina . Huddleston . November 22, 2019 . Mashed.com.
  235. News: 'Big Boy' to join Bangkok's burger battles . July 10, 2019 . Coconuts Bangkok.
  236. News: Destination Eats Debuts Big Boy Brand In Thailand With Delivery . August 28, 2020 . Destination Thailand News . July 11, 2021 . July 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726160411/https://destinationthailandnews.com/lifestyle-news/dining-out-take-away/destination-eats-debuts-big-boy-brand-in-thailand-with-delivery.html . dead .
  237. News: We Tried Big Boy Burger – Here's How Michigan Tastes in Bangkok . Asaree . Thaitrakulpanich . May 26, 2020 . Khaosod English.
  238. News: October 2020. Big Mouth Burger. Pattaya News Flash. July 14, 2021.
  239. Web site: Michaels. Laura. September 28, 2020. Big Boy Restaurants arrives in Thailand as brand plans U.S. revival. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210116201502/https://www.franchisetimes.com/international_franchising/big-boy-restaurants-arrives-in-thailand-as-brand-plans-u-s-revival/article_b50846df-6f7b-5fcd-9ca6-cd037800ceb2.html. January 16, 2021. July 15, 2021. The Franchise Times.
  240. News: When Small Chains Go Abroad, Culture Clashes Require Ingenuity . . April 12, 2000 . Robert . Frank . subscription . . "People thought he was a little, well, creepy," says Peter Smythe, the head franchiser for Big Boy restaurants in Thailand, dusting off his giant Big Boy statue on Bangkok's main thoroughfare. "They kept asking me, `Is he a Chinese Ronald McDonald?' " Eventually, a few Thai visitors decided Big Boy was a religious icon and laid bowls of rice and incense at his feet... Culture clashes, food shortages and government run-ins are common. Consider the story of Mr. Smythe and Big Boy, and their five-year journey into the belly of Thailand... Mr. Smythe and Big Boy's 78-year-old patriarch, Louis Elias, flew to Thailand to hammer out a deal, and a beaming Mr. Elias told Mr. Smythe, "This is a great brand. All you have to do is open the door, and they will come!" About a year later, Mr. Smythe, still acting as an adviser, did open the doors. But no one came. "I called Detroit and screamed, `They're not coming! Now what?' " says Mr. Smythe... After interviewing hundreds of customers, Mr. Smythe found multiple reasons... Many explained that they would rather get a sweet satay, noodle bowl or grilled squid on the street for one fifth the price of a greasy burger. "It suddenly dawned on me that, here I was, trying to get a 3,500-year-old culture to eat 64-year-old food," says Mr. Smythe... Mr. Smythe studied the customers who were walking past his restaurants and discovered that they fell into two broad categories: European tourists and Thai young people, including a large number of the young women who work in nearby bars. With help from a Swiss chef, Mr. Smythe filled the menu with Germanic specialties like spatzle, beef and chocolate cake. For the Thais, he added country-style specialties like fried rice and pork omelets. He also added sugar and chile powder to Big Boy's burgers to better match Thai taste buds. Yet the restaurants now make over half their money from Thai food, and the rest from European dishes and the occasional milk shake or burger. "We thought we were bringing American food to the masses," he says. "But now we're bringing Thai and European food to the tourists. It's strange, but you know what? It's working.".
  241. Book: Gillespie, Kate. Global Marketing. Taylor & Francis. 2015. 9781317508335. 86.
  242. Family brands undergo updates to meet diners' changing needs. Jack. Hayes. Nation's Restaurant News. July 24, 2006. 40. 30. 78. ...the chain now boasts approximately 175 directly franchised and company-owned locations.... September 7, 2017. MasterFILE Premier.
  243. News: Death of Detroit's last Big Boy sparks east side angst. Aguilar. Louis. April 1, 2017. Detroit News. April 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170401231654/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2017/04/01/detroit-islandview-big-boy-closing/99911836/. April 1, 2017. live. en.
  244. News: People love their Big Boy. Rummell. Sally. March 2, 2017. Tri-County Times. April 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170409171740/http://www.tctimes.com/news/people-love-their-big-boy/article_9e6bd9ce-ff7e-11e6-a2b7-43ce4a2a5ff8.html. April 9, 2017. live.
  245. News: Big Boy Restaurant gets new name. Bailey. Jennifer. April 13, 2017. Danville Commercial News. May 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180311204434/http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3AEQU0dkA7YJMJ%3Awww.commercial-news.com%2Fnews%2Flocal_news%2Fbig-boy-restaurant-gets-new-name%2Farticle_08147fbe-a264-5acf-90d5-b524ec27ca47.html+&cd=11&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us. March 11, 2018. live. [T]he restaurant no longer has a contract with Big Boy and the owners are opening their own restaurant at 369 Lynch Rd.
    The name of the restaurant will now be Border Cafe..
  246. News: Ann Arbor area Big Boy closes suddenly. Durr. Matt. April 21, 2016. MLive.com. April 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20161006173233/http://www.mlive.com/business/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/04/ann_arbor_area_big_boy_closes.html. October 6, 2016. live. en-US.
  247. . . .
    • News: Big Boy in Jackson closes its doors. DesOrmeau. Taylor. September 26, 2016. Jackson Citizen Patriot. [The Jackson, Michigan] Big Boy officially closed Monday, Sept. 26, [2016]. ... The restaurant opened as a Big Boy between 1960 and 1961, the source said.. October 19, 2016.
    • News: Goodbye Big Boy. Reznich. Thomas. October 6, 2016. Houghton Lake Resorter. October 18, 2016. The Big Boy that graced the top of the Big Boy restaurant sign on M-55 at Houghton Lake was lowered to the ground Oct. 3.... Libby Whittington, daughter of restaurant building owner Barb Whittington, ... said the restaurant will continue to operate, but will now be known as Mikey's.. https://web.archive.org/web/20170709173153/http://www.houghtonlakeresorter.com/news/2016-10-06/Front_Page/GOODBYE_BIG_BOY.html. July 9, 2017. dead .
  248. News: Tecumseh Big Boy to drop franchise affiliation. Shapiro. Dmitriy. The Daily Telegram. May 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170507122903/http://www.lenconnect.com/news/20170108/tecumseh-big-boy-to-drop-franchise-affiliation. May 7, 2017. live. en. The family-owned restaurant on M-50 on the western edge of Tecumseh is planning not to renew its contract when the current 20-year franchise agreement expires Nov. 1.
    [The owners] said ... they felt that it was the right time to move on when 'six or seven years' prior, the company told its franchisees to undertake a complete renovation if they wanted a new contract ... adding that most of the franchises appear to be making the same decision.'.
  249. News: Bradley. Sean. October 24, 2017. Big Boy in Alma renovation ongoing, plans to reopen as 'Piper's' next year. Morning Sun. Mount Pleasant, MI. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171113011617/http://www.themorningsun.com/general-news/20171024/big-boy-in-alma-renovation-ongoing-plans-to-reopen-as-pipers-next-year. November 13, 2017.
  250. News: Shepard. Liz. February 13, 2018. Marine City Big Boy sold, will reopen as Valentino's. en. The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. live. February 21, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180311204041/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3AuzxXnMxPyEIJ%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetimesherald.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fmarine-city%2F2018%2F02%2F13%2Fmarine-city-big-boy-sold-reopen-valentinos%2F332698002%2F+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us. March 11, 2018. The Marine City Big Boy closed its doors Monday evening [February 12, 2018]..
  251. News: Harrison-Martin. Jackie. February 27, 2018. Big Boy shares big news; franchise takes over old Toast Restaurant building in Woodhaven. en. News-Herald. Southgate, Michigan. live. March 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180302181104/http://www.thenewsherald.com/news/business/big-boy-shares-big-news-franchise-takes-over-old-toast/article_777885f4-ce7d-5a62-a38f-f29e10350688.html. March 2, 2018.
  252. News: Big Boy restaurant closes. Reid. Don. April 3, 2018. The Daily Reporter. April 5, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405165849/http://www.thedailyreporter.com/news/20180403/big-boy-restaurant-closes. April 5, 2018. live. Coldwater, Michigan.
  253. Web site: Big Boy restaurant in Coldwater closes Monday. Delaney. Ken. April 3, 2018. WTVB AM. Coldwater, Michigan. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405170304/http://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2018/apr/03/big-boy-restaurant-in-coldwater-closes-monday/. April 5, 2018. live. April 5, 2018.
  254. News: Big Boy in Mount Clemens closes after 40 years. Hotts. Mitch. September 1, 2017. The Macomb Daily. September 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180311204713/http://www.macombdaily.com/general-news/20170901/big-boy-in-mount-clemens-closes-after-40-years. March 11, 2018. live. Digital First Media. Township, MI. [T]he eatery closed after the last shift on Sunday night [August 27, 2017]..
  255. News: Big Boy on Gratiot in Eastpointe also shuts down. Hotts. Mitch. September 6, 2017. The Macomb Daily. September 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180311205207/http://www.macombdaily.com/lifestyle/20170906/big-boy-on-gratiot-in-eastpointe-also-shuts-down. March 11, 2018. live. Digital First Media. Township, MI. The landmark Big Boy on Gratiot Avenue near Nine Mile Road closed in August [2017]..
  256. News: Big Boy restaurant in Westland closes. Jibrell. Anisa. July 19, 2019. Crain's Detroit Business. July 23, 2019. Its last day of business was July 15 [2019]. subscription.
  257. Web site: Contact Us . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140902200416/http://www.bigboy.com/contact-us/ . September 2, 2014 . Big Boy . 4199 Marcy St. Warren, MI 48091.
  258. Web site: Martin. Bradley. December 2, 2020. Big Boy Returns to Nevada With Classic Burgers and Shakes. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210614210540/https://vegas.eater.com/2020/12/2/21825180/big-boy-opens-indian-springs-nevada. June 14, 2021. June 18, 2021. Eater Las Vegas.
  259. Web site: Rzucidlo. Jason. December 16, 2020. PHOTOS: Big Boy restaurant opens for business in Indian Springs, NV. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210125100217/https://americajr.com/news/2020/12/16/photos-big-boy-restaurant-opens-for-business-in-indian-springs-nv/. January 25, 2021. June 18, 2021. AmericaJR. The restaurant opened for the first time on Nov. 8, 2020..
  260. Web site: Martin. Bradley. September 21, 2020. Bob's Big Boy to Bring Its Famed Burgers and Shakes to Centennial Hills. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210623050028/https://vegas.eater.com/2020/9/21/21447957/bobs-big-boy-opening-2021-centennial-hills. June 23, 2021. June 23, 2021. Eater Las Vegas.
  261. News: Thilmont . Greg . Big Boy classic food finds a new spot in the Las Vegas Valley . Las Vegas Review-Journal . May 20, 2022 . May 26, 2022.
  262. Web site: Big Boy Tavern opens in northwest Las Vegas Valley . Lilly . Caitlin . May 23, 2022 . Fox 5, KVVU-TV . May 26, 2022.
  263. Web site: Anderegg. Brandon. June 7, 2021. Big Boy franchise returns to Wisconsin after 26 years. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210623044812/https://biztimes.com/big-boy-franchise-returns-to-wisconsin-after-26-years/. June 23, 2021. June 23, 2021. BizTimes.
  264. Web site: Steffes. Judy. June 17, 2021. Press conference at 5:30 p.m. as Big Boy to open in Germantown. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210623045353/https://www.washingtoncountyinsider.com/big-boy-wisconsin-2/. June 23, 2021. June 23, 2021. Washington County Insider.
  265. Web site: NEW grand opening date . https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/125003174342109/1901696480006094 . 2022-02-26 . limited. Wisconsin Big Boy . July 7, 2021 . FaceBook.
  266. Web site: Big Boy's Burgers and Shakes . burgersandshakes.com . April 9, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170730232011/http://bigboyburgersandshakes.com/ . July 30, 2017 . dead .
  267. News: Big Boy is back with opening of restaurant in Mayfield Heights . February 9, 2016 . Jeff . Piorkowski . The Plain Dealer.
  268. Web site: B. Krista. March 1, 2021. Big Boy's Burgers and Shakes / Reviews. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210719133135/https://restaurantguru.com/Big-Boys-Burgers-and-Shakes-Mayfield-Heights/reviews?bylang=1. July 19, 2021. July 19, 2021. Restaurant Guru. Closed permanently! 1/29/20.
  269. Web site: gorden654. Big Boy's Burgers and Shakes. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210719135607/https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g50623-d9981019-Reviews-Big_Boy_s_Burgers_and_Shakes-Mayfield_Heights_Ohio.html. July 19, 2021. July 19, 2021. Tripadvisor. Just returned home with our take-out order.... Date of visit: August 2019.
  270. Web site: Murdock. Riley. December 15, 2020. Former Thumb-area Big Boy temporarily shuts down after court order, owner says. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210225174523/https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2020/12/former-thumb-area-big-boy-temporarily-shuts-down-after-court-order-owner-says.html. February 25, 2021. April 7, 2021. MLive.
  271. Web site: November 27, 2020. Michigan Big Boy owner to terminate franchise agreement due to corporate legal action. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210124025335/https://www.wxyz.com/news/coronavirus/michigan-big-boy-owner-to-terminate-franchise-agreement-due-to-corporate-legal-action. January 24, 2021. April 7, 2021. WXYZ (TV).
  272. Web site: New fast-food 'Bob's Big Boy' spin-off coming to metro Detroit .
  273. Web site: Familiar Michigan Restaurant Brand Replacing Zeus' in South Lansing . June 12, 2023 .