Remember Bob's Big Boy? One's coming to town
| Wednesday, Apr 29 2009 04:16 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Apr 29 2009 04:16 PM
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Share your memories of dining at Bob's Big Boy on the Money Talks blog at bakersfield.com.
OK, first things first.
Yes, the Bob's Big Boy coming soon to the southwest will have a Big Boy statue.
The chubby kid'll be there, distinctive coiffure, red checkered overalls and all.
About 80 to 100 employees will be, too, when the 4,800-square-foot diner opens this summer in a former Bakers Square, 3939 Ming Ave.
The lone Bakers Square restaurant in Bakersfield closed when The Village Inn and Bakers Square restaurant chains were sold out of bankruptcy to Denver-based American Blue Ribbon Holdings LLC in March.
Meanwhile, Big Boy is rising from the ashes of its own bankruptcy.
The chain is barreling through an expansion after having vacated California entirely except for one restaurant in Burbank.
Founded by Bob Wian, the first Big Boy restaurant opened in Glendale in 1936. Marriott Corp. bought the company in 1967.
One of the larger franchisees, Elias Brothers, purchased the chain from Marriott in 1987 and moved the headquarters to Warren, Mich.
Big Boy changed hands, again, after it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2000. The current owner is investor Robert Liggett Jr., who hired Keith Sirois as chief executive officer in January.
Sirois is charged with the task of capitalizing on the diner's name recognition and iconic brand "to get it back on track and growing again," he said.
Big Boy has 100 locations in 11 states. There are 350 more in Japan.
Sirois said the company is examining ways to make owning a franchise more affordable to spur expansion. It costs about $3 million to start a franchise from scratch.
"That's why so many of our locations in California are remodels of other concepts," Sirois said.
The company has mostly confined itself to smaller markets here.
Bakersfield will be home to California's 13th Big Boy. Ahira Inc., a Bakersfield-based franchise company, is the owner. Ahira also owns two Coco's Bakery and Restaurants, one here and one in Stevenson Ranch.
Owner Saleem Manju is counting on nostalgia to draw customers to his newest eatery.
Generations grew up eating at the company's diners, always watched over by those jolly Big Boy statues. Online auctions do a brisk business in vintage Big Boy memorabilia, including everything from comic books to bobbleheads.
"People love it," Manju said. "It's been tremendous, the response to our (coming soon) sign," he said. "It's a great, great brand, and the company is re-energized and coming back."
The diner is mostly known for its double decker hamburgers, but also offers comfort foods such as country fried steak, chicken parmigiana, fried chicken and coconut shrimp.
