Big Boy

In 1936, Robert Wian opened a ten-stool diner called “Bob’s Pantry” in Glendale, California. After a promising start, Wian expanded the place into a combination coffee shop and drive-in. Observing that the hamburgers at the nearby White Castle hamburger stand seemed skimpy, Wian bid for attention by making a double-decker burger: he split a sesame-seed bun in three and tucked two burgers in between. This more substantial sandwich was originally called the “Fat Boy,” but Wian soon changed the name to “Big Boy.” In 1937 he renamed the restaurant itself “Bob’s Big Boy.” Its icon was a plump, saucer-eyed boy in red and white checked overalls with the words “Big Boy” emblazoned across his chest, holding aloft a double-decker hamburger. A twelve-foot statue of the Big Boy was placed in front of each restaurant in the chain.