Frisch's Big Boy

Ah, the Big Boy. I remember my dad taking me there for the first time when I was a high school kid. I immediately fell in love with that double-stacked burger laden with lettuce, pickles, sauce, the extra wedge of bread... Yum. They were so good that a National Guard buddy and I would eat there pretty much every weekend we were in St. Pete, FL for drill. I have a lot of pleasant memories associated with Big Boys.

The 500-odd pound Big Boy was kidnapped the other night from in front of the local Frisch's. It was found the next morning on the roof of the local high school. It took the school district's maintenance crew and a tall fork lift to get it down and return it. The police believe they know who the kidnappers are, but Frisch's has decided that because Big Boy was not injured, and as no ransom note was found, they aren't going to press charges.

Cool!

Anyone remember the Murphy Brown episode about that? Murphy had a "Meaty Boy" statue (which was a thinly veiled Big Boy), her weenie boss kidnapped it, but then it was stolen from him.

quote:

Originally posted by correctinfo

The Name Big Boy is owned by Frisch's. They are based in Cincinnati. I don't know for certain but I believe Bob's Big Boy has to pay Frisch's for the right to use the name Big Boy. The Big Boy Sandwich Frisch's makes is different that those using other restaurant names. Frisch's uses their own tartar sauce.

Big Boy is owned by Big Boy International Restaurants. Frisch's pays for the rights to use the trademark.

I guess the closest Big Boy we have is in Lexington, KY. In knoxville, it is Shoney's which I assume is very very similar? At least they use to have the statue of the Big Boy in front.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Our Big Boy has been stolen twice (returned safely once, and never seen again the second time)
This time when the replaced him, they anchored him down EXTREMELY well, and put him under video surveilance.

This thread got me to wondering: Frisches, Big Boy, Shoneys, Jerrys??? How many of them are related. Are there more?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Michigan has 116 Big Boy's in operation throughout the state

http://www.bigboy.com/Locator_City.asp?State=Michigan

Michigan has 116 Big Boy's in operation throughout the state

Operated under the "Elias Brothers" name

http://www.bigboy.com/Locator_City.asp?State=Michigan

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

This thread got me to wondering: Frisches, Big Boy, Shoneys, Jerrys??? How many of them are related. Are there more?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul, someone posted a good entry for Big Boy on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Boy_(restaurant)

quote:

Originally posted by Scorereader

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

This thread got me to wondering: Frisches, Big Boy, Shoneys, Jerrys??? How many of them are related. Are there more?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul, someone posted a good entry for Big Boy on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Boy_(restaurant)

Thanks for the link. I guess there are many verions of the restaurant.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I ate at the Frisch's Big Boy in Louisville, KY Thursday while visiting my grandparents.

While it wouldn't be my first choice, I thought my meal was tasty. I liked that I could get just a hamburger without fries and colelaw.

They have a nice, if not very large, salad bar now. As I'm trying to eat better, I appreciated that. The broccoli soup on the salad bar was tasty.

My grandfather is diabetic so he appreciates salad bars and places with lots of choices that fit his new diet.

Like I said, wouldn't be my first choice but I wasn't in Louisville for the food. I was there to visit family and anywhere they wanted to eat was fine by me.

I know in Ft Wayne Indiana it was AZAR's Big Boy. I had no idea there was any named anything but Azar's Big Boy till just a few years ago.

We have Frisch's in NW Ohio. I've always just called them Big Boy's and I've always thought that Big Boy looked like my fat little brother. The food is pretty good and I remember loving the children's meal when I was little because it always came with a little take home cup and surprise (usually playdoh). I don't really suggest the breakfast though. I've been pretty disappointed the last two times I've gone there. Maybe it was just the location I went to but the breakfast bar was pretty sub par.

Because we have so few members in the Mountain States, we don't hear much about JB's Big Boys. They are much like the other members of the family. Usually there is a breakfast bar and a menu like Fricshs or Jerry's etc etc. We have stopped at several in Utah and Idaho. They remind me of the old HoJo's and the 3 D sandwich that was the backbone of the burger world for many years.

There's Elias Big Boy in Michigan, the largest and most profitable Big Boy franchise to this day. They sold it though back in 2003.

None of ours have closed though.

It's a treat to go there on anyday just for the heck of it.

I grew up on Frisch's in Ohio, but live in Atlanta now. About a year or so ago a couple of us got into a friendly bar argument on what the sauce was on a Big Boy: Myself and my buddy said tartar sauce, while two others said thousand island. Later that night I found out that only Frisch's version of Big Boy had the tartat sauce. Go figure.

That said, when planning a food trip to Charleston, we decided to drive up to Ashville, NC for the last night as there was a nearby Big Boy in Cherokee (I believe it was an Elias' maybe? Also, this Big Boy is the nearest to Atlanta). Out of luck, my friend had just returned from Ohio before the trip and brought back some Frisch's tartar sauce. Needless to say, we brought it on the trip.

When we got to Cherokee's Big Boy, I ordered a Big Boy platter with their standard sauce (thousand island) and an al a carte Big Boy plain. I dressed that second Big Boy up with a bunch of the Frisch's tartar sauce that we brought, and made the comparison.

Hands down I like the Frisch's tartar sauce better than the thousand island, but the Elias? burger had some real nice and crisp pickle chips. Great stuff either way.

The only negative on the meal was that I was too stuffed to eat a Hot Fudge Cake.

Our local Golden Corral must have something to do with Frisch's because I happened to notice the thermostat on the wall had a read-out that said Frisch's Inc.????

There's a Frish's on Harrodsburg Road in Lexington, KY as well as in Georgetown, KY and Frankfort, KY (locations close to me). I go for the pork sandwich or the Big Boy with onions rings. They have their tartar sauce for sale on their website.

Andrea

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I guess the closest Big Boy we have is in Lexington, KY. In knoxville, it is Shoney's which I assume is very very similar? At least they use to have the statue of the Big Boy in front.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

There is a Bob's Big Boy in Cherokee NC.

quote:

Originally posted by bluegrasser031

Our local Golden Corral must have something to do with Frisch's because I happened to notice the thermostat on the wall had a read-out that said Frisch's Inc.????

Frisch's Restaurants operates and licenses about 115 Big Boy family-style restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. Frisch's also operates about 35 buffet-style Golden Corral steak houses in many of the same areas. The family of president and CEO Craig Maier controls nearly 40% of the company.