Big Boy Closures

[Zacha341]

Yeah, really! They had/ have this kiddified styled hamburger with some ghastly sauce, pureed onions crappola, mystery-tasting meat thing. Drive thru Wendy's burger far, FAR better.

You'd be surprised.

They have a location on Maple near Livernois. I eat there from time to time, it isn't the London Chop House, but the food is pretty good - hard to screw up a burger and coffee.

[masterblaster]

There is one on Maple near Livernois and one on John R south of 13 that are both going strong and are crowded much of the time. The food at the one on John R is quite good and much like I remember it from the 70's. Also has a little soda fountain area.

Yes, I had a part-time job near the Madison Heights/John R Big Boys up until February. That location seems very busy, the parking lot is full many nights. It looks updated and looks like a very attractive family dining space.

The closure of the one in Detroit on East Jefferson seems very puzzling because that was a very busy location in an area that doesn't have a whole lot of dining options

[Zacha341]

It had gotten pretty dirty at the end. The buffet was good but highly salted. Still I get the void considering how few sit down restaurants are available outside the downtown-midtown scene. Anyway a new restaurant is replacing it!

The closure of the one in Detroit on East Jefferson seems very puzzling because that was a very busy location in an area that doesn't have a whole lot of dining options

[jcole]

The one on Jefferson closed because the owners sold it; it was owned by Curis Enterprises. It was opened in 1967 by George Curis, so it's not a corporate Big Boy.

[Zacha341]

^^^ Hmm, not corporate. That explains why the food there was better, and it indeed was.

[Onthe405]

I grew up and still have connections to the chain. It's not what it used to be as some of the folks at the top just don't get it. Dining trends change....they have a new concept in Cleveland that I think can be the future of the chain as it focuses on a few sandwiches and milkshakes. I think there is still life for Big Boy if some folks would get out of the 1980's but that's not my place to fix. On that note the Big Boy in Burbank,CA [[I live in LA) is constantly busy........

IMO, the reason for the continued success of Burbank & Downey has to do with the nod to the original product. In SoCal, there's a whole subculture of folks dedicated to the appreciation & preservation of mid-century architecture and the unique role that the post-war LA lifestyle holds in the American psyche [[count myself in that camp).

The few remaining Big Boy locations in SoCal are popular because they retained the original 50s/60s buildings, signage, and are [[basically) true to the original menu. There's still a niche market for nostalgia [[note Phillipe & Clifton's) as an attraction. These BBs also dovetail with periodic "classic car" club gatherings/shows, and, of course, the Burbank Bob's is in the shadow of Warner's, so it is frequently used as a location shoot.

In an effort to compete, Elias Bros continued to "update" their BB franchise through the years [[including changing the menu, opening in malls, etc), which compromised its original, old-school "vibe". All but a handful of the SoCal BBs followed the same path and met their fate about 20 years ago.

In an attempt to start a nostalgia wave [[based on the success of Burbank & Downey), BB attempted to expand with locations in Signal Hill, Torrance, and Anaheim about 10 years ago. They settled in spaces that were either brand new or taken over from other chains that closed. Without the entire package of original architecture + good food + a pool of repeat and/or tourist clientele, they failed within a couple years.

[msamslex]

Passed by the closed Big Boy on Michigan Ave. west of Oakman today. The building is being torn down. All that's left is the steel frame of the building & part of the brick wall with the Big Boy sign on it.

[chitaku]

IMO, the reason for the continued success of Burbank & Downey has to do with the nod to the original product. In SoCal, there's a whole subculture of folks dedicated to the appreciation & preservation of mid-century architecture and the unique role that the post-war LA lifestyle holds in the American psyche [[count myself in that camp).

The few remaining Big Boy locations in SoCal are popular because they retained the original 50s/60s buildings, signage, and are [[basically) true to the original menu. There's still a niche market for nostalgia [[note Phillipe & Clifton's) as an attraction. These BBs also dovetail with periodic "classic car" club gatherings/shows, and, of course, the Burbank Bob's is in the shadow of Warner's, so it is frequently used as a location shoot.

In an effort to compete, Elias Bros continued to "update" their BB franchise through the years [[including changing the menu, opening in malls, etc), which compromised its original, old-school "vibe". All but a handful of the SoCal BBs followed the same path and met their fate about 20 years ago.

In an attempt to start a nostalgia wave [[based on the success of Burbank & Downey), BB attempted to expand with locations in Signal Hill, Torrance, and Anaheim about 10 years ago. They settled in spaces that were either brand new or taken over from other chains that closed. Without the entire package of original architecture + good food + a pool of repeat and/or tourist clientele, they failed within a couple years.

I'm a regular at both those locations! Love me some googie architecture!

[Bigdd]

The food went downhill. THAT's the problem.

I used to LOVE eating a super Big Boy there,.. and pehaps a shake. But the last few times I went to one,.. there was hard chunks in the meat,.. and the shakes were just so-so.

I asked the waitress about the burger patties,. and she said that's just the way they were these days. [[She was an older lady that had been there decades I suspect).

So the one on Telegraph South of 15 closed a few years back and was rebuilt into Mex,.. and the other one I went to in recent years on 12.5 and John R. is still there. I'd eat there 2x a week if the food was descent.

My best friend grew up in a Big Boy practically. His uncle owned on in Grosse Pointe at 16624 Mack Ave. near Cadieux [[now The Harvard Grill),.. and he lived a few doors down. We both wish they and their menu and food quality from the 80's would return.

[mtburb]

I just happened to remember yet another Big Boy that closed...there was one at I-75 at the Dixie Highway exit in Monroe that's now an IHOP.

And additionally, there was right up to nearly six years ago one in Southland. That space still has yet to see a new tenant!

[softailrider]

I don't know why everybody is dissin' Big Boy. Big Boy is just fine when your in the mood for Big Boy. Your not getting on the Concord and flying to Paris for dinner at the Ritz.

[professorscott]

I don't know why everybody is dissin' Big Boy.

Well, for one, over and over people have said: the food's gotten worse, the restaurants are dirtier, service is spotty etc. I haven't been in one for years, so I don't know.

The other lesson is "adapt or die". Ask Joe Muer why you can't just keep running with the same menu and concept as tastes and culture change; in the mid 1990s he was still serving creamed spinach and Finnan Haddie and requiring that gentlemen wear a jacket and tie. I hope the Vicaris are doing well with the core of his concept, but he didn't adapt. Or, more in line with the Big Boy level of concept, what happened to Howard Johnson's [[one remaining worldwide) or all the various dinner-house chains that have failed in the past fifteen years.

Or, go to the retail cemetery and wonder what happened to such once-grand retailers as Woolworth and Montgomery Ward [[or go there a few years from now and wonder what happened to Sears).

You have to be nimble and keep up with the times, or find yourself on the ash-heap of history. And "keeping up" can even include going full-bore retro, like some of the Cali Big Boy restaurants mentioned on the thread. But you gotta do something.

[313WX]

The last time I was in a Big Boy, the food was forgettable at best. I could have went to any ol' chain and got the same fare.

Furthermore, the place was practically empty [[no more than 3 tables at a time were occupied, including where we sat).

That said, I do have to agree with Zacha341 and give exception to the Soul Food Buffet on Jefferson. It was fairly decent food and portions for the money.

[313WX]

It had gotten pretty dirty at the end. The buffet was good but highly salted. Still I get the void considering how few sit down restaurants are available outside the downtown-midtown scene. Anyway a new restaurant is replacing it!

Good Soul Food is supposed to be "highly salted."

[Honky Tonk]

Good Soul Food is supposed to be "highly salted."

Especially if the head cook/chef has a 3 pack a day habit.

[1953]

I visited the Clinton Township Big Boy on M-59 last week. Service was excellent, restaurant [[including bathrooms) was clean, and the Slim Jim combo did not disappoint.

1953

[Smirnoff]

Especially if the head cook/chef has a 3 pack a day habit.

And a Johnny Walker Red habit.

[Zacha341]

I know... hah. I even have my own container of Lawrey's Seasoning Salt in my seasoning cache for when I want to get my soul-food-taste 'salt on'! ----

Good Soul Food is supposed to be "highly salted."

[Meddle]

Or, more in line with the Big Boy level of concept, what happened to Howard Johnson's [[one remaining worldwide)

The only HoJos I remember was on Northwestern and the only thing I remember about them was the Fried Clams.

[Jimaz]

A senior waitress told a curious story about the demise of the iconic Utica Big Boy at 21 Mile & Van Dyke [[October 2008 Street View).

After [[a very successful) CVS opened across the street, a competitor of CVS [[forget which) wanted to open a store where this Big Boy operated since the 50s. As a result, the Big Boy closed but the carpet store just south of it stubbornly refused to sell. The carpet store's lot was necessary too so the whole deal fell through. The carefully sealed Big Boy sat unused for a few years before being demolished for a brand new building for other businesses.

That was a nice Big Boy. They had the drive-in speakers until the 70s.

[Meddle]

Probably Walgreen's. Another company I've lost interest in and no longer patronize. They did the cannibalization of competitors' business quite a bit around here. If there's a CVS, you can almost bet there's a Walgreen's within sight.

O'Reilly Auto did the same thing, placing stores almost within sight of Advanced Auto, AutoZone or both.

I just refuse to shop at places that do that.

I can't figure out why they don't place stores a couple of miles away and create their own market.

[Hermod]

Bill Knapp's used to be a favorite of the older crowd. On your birthday, you got a percentage discount based pon your age [[70th birthday = 70% individual discount). My parents and their siblings in Michigan just loved them some Bill Knapp's.

[Maof]

Bill Knapp's used to be a favorite of the older crowd. On your birthday, you got a percentage discount based pon your age [[70th birthday = 70% individual discount). My parents and their siblings in Michigan just loved them some Bill Knapp's.

And the chocolate cake! I liked going there and I'm not old

[Gistok]

Probably Walgreen's. Another company I've lost interest in and no longer patronize. They did the cannibalization of competitors' business quite a bit around here. If there's a CVS, you can almost bet there's a Walgreen's within sight.

O'Reilly Auto did the same thing, placing stores almost within sight of Advanced Auto, AutoZone or both.

I just refuse to shop at places that do that.

I can't figure out why they don't place stores a couple of miles away and create their own market.

A few years ago St. Clair Shores had a run-in with Walgreen's because they wanted to build right across 11 Mile Rd. on Harper from a CVS.... but the city said no. An older 2 story pub named Mar Dee's Place would have been torn down. Instead Walgreen's built their store at 12 Mile and Harper.... and Mar Dee's Place has been nicely re-clad in stone and is now 2 story Butter Run Pub.... with an outdoor deck. A great improvement over 2 big box drug stores facing each other.

18 years ago all 3 of the big box drugstores [[CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreen's) were up against the National Trust for Historic Places... because they were buying up and tearing down the historic buildings on the main corners of towns across America.

So the National Trust put "The Corner of Main and Main" as their #1 endangered building on their 1999 11 Most Endangered Building List.

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/14/ny...o.html?mcubz=0

Eventually all 3 drug chains agreed to stop the wholesale destruction of historic properties.

[Jerry Van]

I have breakfast occasionally at Mack and Vernier. It's a decent location -- a bit ragged in terms of the décor but business seems pretty brisk for the most part--at least at breakfast/lunch...plus they have a grand total of 3 Big Boy statues on the site.

The Mack & Vernier store tried to poison me twice at their salad bar. They won't get a 3rd try. When I began to tell the waitress how terribly spoiled the coleslaw was, I couldn't even finish my sentence before she cut in and said, "Oh yea, we know..." I'm done forever.