Big Boy named franchisees

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Logos of historical 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. Historic Big Boy Restaurant Franchisee Logos.svg
Logos of historical 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.

The Big Boy name, concept, menu, and mascot were originally licensed to a wide number of regional franchise holders. 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.

Contents

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, 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. [1] [2] [3] [4] However, some items might be prepared at the restaurants daily, such as soups and breading of seafood and onion rings.

History

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. [5] 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 that offered a limited menu. Sometimes called drive-ins, these junior stores did not use carhops. [6] [7] [8] In 1993, Marc's Big Boy similarly developed Big Boy Express stores using dual drive-thrus and no interior dining area. [9] Two Express stores were built, offered for sale a year later and closed in 1995. [10] [11]

Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Burbank, California BobsBigBoy Burbank.jpg
Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Burbank, California

Several franchises also held Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises and sold that chicken in their Big Boy restaurants; these included Marc's, [12] McDowell's, [13] [14] 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 [15] or Country Cousin Chicken. [16] Franchises who resisted the change were forced to remove Kentucky Fried Chicken menu items and physically relocate those operations. [14] However, Marriott sold "Pappy Parker Fried Chicken" in Bob's Big Boys; [17] the Marriott owned brand was also sold in the company's Hot Shoppes and Roy Rogers Restaurants, [18] [19] and later Marriott Hotel Restaurants. [20]

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 that allowed not only additional drive-ins but also operators to build modern restaurants with large, pleasant dining rooms. Many of the early successful franchisees would 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. [21] 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. [22] 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. [23] [24] (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 now owns the "Big Boy" name in a defined four-state region, and its franchisee Azar closed in 2020. Bob's is a 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, [25] only generally realized by Big Boy Restaurants International after 2000. [26] This was intended to strengthen the trademark but also prevent defections, such as happened with Shoney's Big Boy retaining identity as Shoney's. [27] [28] 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. [29]

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. [30]

Roster of named operators

Big Boy restaurants were co-branded 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:

Franchisors and independent operators

The parent franchisor company has changed over the system's lifetime: it was Bob's Big Boy from 1936 to 1967, first as an independent company, then under Marriott Corporation ownership after 1967; then Elias Brothers' Big Boy until 2000. Since 2001, control of the trademark in the U.S. has been split into two territories, between Big Boy Restaurants in most of the United States, and Frisch's Big Boy as an independent entity in a few states in the Midwest. Additionally, Big Boy Japan operates independently of the Big Boy Restaurant Group.

Bob's Big Boy

Bob's operated in California, Arizona, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont; and Indiana, Ohio, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania toll roads and airport locations operated in several states by the Marriott Corp. or others, 1936+, founded by Robert C. "Bob" Wian

The original Big Boy chain, which in Wian's time was confined to Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. Because Marriott developed and acquired Big Boy restaurants elsewhere, principally the northeastern U.S., Bob's developed a more diverse territory and identity. JB's Big Boy purchased Bob's in Nevada and Arizona. Currently, Bob's operates only five restaurants – all in Southern California. Bob's units are the only operators under the domain of the Big Boy Restaurant Group now permitted to use a franchise name for public identity. Wian was the original chairman of the Big Boy Board of Directors. [A]

Elias Brothers' Big Boy

Elias Brothers operated in Michigan, Northeastern Ohio, Ontario, Canada, 19522000, founded by Fred, John and Louis Elias.

In 1938 the brothers opened Fred's Chili Bowl in Detroit and later the Dixie Drive-In in Hazel Park, which would become the first Elias Brothers Big Boy. Considered the "first official franchisee" because they were the first to apply to Bob Wian formally. [31] :111 They worked with Wian, Schoenbaum and Manfred Bernhard to create the 1956 Big Boy character design and launch the comic book. Owned the Big Boy system from 1987 through 2000, when the bankrupt company was sold to Robert Liggett. Many Michigan units continue operations stripped of the Elias Brothers name, and these are the vast majority (90%) of Big Boy Restaurant Group's Big Boy stores. Fred Elias became a member of the Big Boy Board of Directors. [32] [F]

Big Boy Restaurants

As of April 2024, Big Boy Restaurant Group 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". [33] One Big Boy location also operates in Thailand. [34]

Frisch's Big Boy

Frisch's operates in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and owns rights to most of Tennessee. It operated in Florida until the early 1990s, 1947+, founded by David Frisch.

The Cincinnati restaurant chain and first franchisee began serving Big Boy hamburgers in 1946 but opened their first Big Boy Drive-In restaurant in 1948; Frisch's now operates 31 Big Boys, all of which are franchised. 11 are franchised to other owners, while the rest are franchised to either Don Short or Cheryl White, current managers of the company. Frisch's subfranchised to Azar's and Manners, which used the Frisch's styled Big Boy, to Milton and David Bennett in 1955, who operate as Frisch's in northwest Ohio and also licensed Elby's to operate three Big Boy units in the upper Ohio Valley until 1971. In 2001, Frisch's became the perpetual owner of the Big Boy trademark in most of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee and received $1.2 million to relinquish all other Big Boy territories to Big Boy Restaurants International, to whom Frisch's is no longer a franchisee or licensee. [35] On August 24, 2015, Frisch's was sold to an Atlanta-based private equity fund, ending family ownership and control of the chain. [36] [37] [X]

Big Boy Japan

A Big Boy Restaurant in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan Big Boy Restaurant Chofu Tokyo M3343.jpg
A Big Boy Restaurant in Chōfu, Tokyo, 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. [38] [39] [40] 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. [41] They also offer beer and wine. [41] Zensho had purchased Big Boy Japan from the ailing Daiei in 2002 for 8.65 billion yen. [42] [43] Like Frisch, Big Boy Japan operates independently of the Big Boy Restaurant Group. [44]

Franchises that became independent

Other franchisees

Unauthorized uses

Mady's Big Boy of Windsor, Ontario, was not a franchisee, though sometimes identified as one and using a similar looking mascot. [168] 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. [169] In 1973 Elias Brothers bought Mady's and established an Elias Big Boy on Mady's original site. [170] John Bitove Sr. owned the rights to Big Boy for the remainder of Canada, which he sold to Elias Brothers in 1979. [127] During the mid to late 1980's there was one in Nassau, Bahamas.

Notes

    1. Some sources say Elby's came from the childhood nickname of Ellis Boury. [57]
    2. George Boury referred to paying $500,000 to break their franchise agreement in the late 1970s. [64] This occurred in 1984 and likely only involved restaurants in Pennsylvania, since West Virginia stores were subfranchises of Shoney's, who already bought out their franchise agreement in April 1984. Elby's Ohio stores were not affiliated with Big Boy. [63] [36]
    3. Franklin's continued to advertise the Big Boy hamburger and mascot—now with "Franklin's" on the mascot's chef hat—on March 15, 1977. [74] A month later Franklin's advertised an unbranded "double-decker hamburger" instead. [75] By February 1978, Franklin's began to advertise the "Big Ben" (Double-Decker) Hamburger. [76]
    4. Marc's Big Boy Express units were modeled on Rally's Hamburger stores which operated in the Midwest.
    5. Many sources mistakenly report that Shoney's began in 1959 because Ray Danner became a Shoney's Big Boy franchisee in 1959 and he is assumed to be the founder. However, Alex Shoenbaum founded the original Parkette in 1947 and became a Big Boy franchise in 1952. The matter is further confounded because after Schoenbaum changed the public name of his restaurants from "Parkette Big Boy Shoppes" to "Shoney's Big Boy" in 1954, the parent company remained named "Parkette Foods" until it merged with Ray Danner's company in 1971, then being renamed "Shoney's Big Boy Enterprises.
    6. The company name was not always the name as used with the public. The company was named "Parkette Foods" until 1971, when Ray Danner changed it to "Shoney's Big Boy Enterprises". Writing about the 1976 name change the Charleston Daily Mail reported, "Top management ... believes Shoney's is much more than the southern reincarnation of the Frisch's Big Boy." [105]
    7. Some sources, including a 1986 Azar's menu, say 1954. [111]

    References

    1. Advertisement (April 15, 1956). "New 'Bob's' Opens Tuesday: California's Fanciest Hamburger Joint newest 'Home of the Big Boy'". Los Angeles Times. p. G8 via Newspapers.com. His original capital was $300...
    2. Cunningham, Libby (April 25, 2013). "Behind-the-scenes tour of Frisch's Commissary provides tasty preview of chain's Founder's Day". WCPO TV-9. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017. 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.
    3. Elias Bros. Restaurants v. Treasury Department, 549N.W.2d837 (Mich.1996)("Food for both company-owned and franchised restaurants is produced at a facility called the Commissary, which Elias Brothers owns and operates.").
    4. Novotney, Steve (March 5, 2016). "The Elby's Empire: Part 4 - My Elby's". Weelunk. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
    5. Eagan, John C. (November 17, 1976). "Drive-ins give way to fast food, counter operations". The Day. New London, CT. Associated Press. p. 18. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
    6. "Bob's launches junior version". Valley News (West ed.). Van Nuys, California. February 23, 1971. p. 21–A. Retrieved February 9, 2018 via newspapers.com.
    7. "Shoney's Jr. is now open... [advertisement]". The Charleston Daily Mail. August 26, 1966. p. 11. Retrieved February 9, 2018 via Newspapers.com.
    8. "J.B.'s Opens 2 'Junior' Drive-Ins". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. September 19, 1969. p. 10B. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
    9. Bednarek, David J. (June 4, 1993). "Marcus returns to fast-food's beginnings with Big Boy Express". The Milwaukee Journal. Journal/Sentinel, Inc. p. C6 via NewsBank.(subscription required)
    10. Waterbury, Kathleen (September 14, 1994). "'BYE, BOY Marcus selling cafes, Big Boys". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Journal/Sentinel Inc. p. 1D via NewsBank.(subscription required)
    11. "Big Boy". Wisconsin Historical Society. January 31, 2005. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
    12. "Weekend Special! [Advertisement]". Manitowoc Herald Times. August 23, 1968. p. 5. Retrieved November 4, 2016 via newspaperarchive.com.
    13. "A Good Idea for the Hungry Hunter [Advertisement]". Billings Gazette. October 19, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved November 4, 2016 via newspaperarchive.com.
    14. 1 2 "Business beat". The Bismarck Tribune. May 27, 2006. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
    15. . . .
    16. . . .
    17. "Bob's Fried Chicken Special [Advertisement]". Los Angeles Times. January 5, 1979. p. IV-24. Retrieved May 19, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
    18. "Hot Shoppes Picnic to Go-Go [Advertisement]". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 12, 1965. p. 11. Retrieved May 19, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
    19. "Super Season Special: Taste the difference fresh makes". The Pittsburgh Press. June 26, 1978. p. C-5. Retrieved May 19, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
    20. "A Thanksgiving Menu That's Really Stuffed! [Advertisement]". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 25, 1986. p. A-10. Retrieved May 19, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
    21. Glassett, Janie. "[Big Boy Progress Image at] Janies's Big Boy Webpage: Big Boy Family Newsletter". Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
    22. "'Big Boy' Trademark Suit Opens, Glendale Firm Asks Verdict". The Independent Star News. Pasadena. July 26, 1959. p. 11 via newspaperarchive.com.
    23. Schaffer, Frank (April 17, 1962). "Charleston Drive-In Zooms To Huge 10-State Business". Charleston Daily Mail. pp. 12, 17. Retrieved February 26, 2013 via newspaperarchive.com. 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. 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.
    24. Shoney's Home of the Nationally Famous Big Boy [Menu]. 1959. back cover. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017. 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 RoanokeNote: 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.
    25. "Elby's rejoins Big Boy franchise system". The Doylestown Intelligencer. August 19, 1988. p. B-9. Retrieved September 6, 2017 via newspaper archive. [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.
    26. "Sign of the times" . The Grand Blanc News. September 19, 2004. p. GB-4. Retrieved September 9, 2017 via Newsbank. 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.
    27. "Elby's rejoins Big Boy chain". Observer Reporter. Washington, PA. August 3, 1988. p. C-6. Retrieved February 14, 2013 via Google news.
    28. Frisch's Restaurant, Inc. v. Shoney's Inc., 759F.2d1261 , 1265-6(6th Cir.1985)("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.").
    29. "Tawas Bay Big Boy". Tawas Bay Big Boy. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
    30. . . .
      • "Bismarck Big Boy Restaurant". BisManCafe. Retrieved March 22, 2016. continue to offer distinctions from the standard Big Boy menu.
      • "Around the Mountain State". Point Pleasant Register. August 4, 1988. p. 14. Retrieved 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.
      • "Menu". Bob's Big Boy. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
      • "Menu". Frisch's Big Boy. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
      • "Big Boy Restaurant menu: Bismarck, ND". All Menus. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
      • "Food". Big Boy. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
    31. 1 2 Hansen, Christian (2002). The Big Boy Story: "King of Them All". Santa Barbara: Haagen Printing. ISBN   978-0967194363. (page 75) On a plane trip to Keene, New Hampshire ... to visit with [Big Boy] franchisee Manfred Bernhard, creator of the Big Boy Comic Book. ... Manfred greeted us at the plane in his car, loaded us in, and we drove in an opposite direction to his restaurant, Mr. 'B's'.
    32. 1 2 3 4 "Bob's Big Boy restaurant holds opening ceremony". Van Nuys News (Central ed.). June 25, 1965. p. 21–A. Retrieved December 13, 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com.
    33. "Locations". Big Boy. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
    34. "Locations". Big Boy Thailand. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
    35. Kosdrosky, Terry (February 2001). "New Owner of Big Boy Gobbles Up Franchise Rights". Crain's Detroit Business. Vol. 17, no. 7. p. 32.
    36. 1 2 3 4 5 Frisch's Restaurant, Inc. v. Elby's Big Boy, 661F.Supp.971 (S.D. Ohio, E.D.1987).
    37. "Frisch's Big Boy Celebrates Founder's Day May 3". [Official] Frisch's Big Boy of Northwest Ohio. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved 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.
    38. "Zensho Group: Big Boy, Hamburger Steak & Grill Restaurant". Zénsho Holdings Company. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
    39. Matsutani, Minoru (January 25, 2011). "Family restaurants falling from flavor". Japan Times . Tokyo: Toshiaki Ogasawara. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
    40. 1 2 "Big Boy Japan Menu Items". Big Boy Japan. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
    41. "Daiei seen selling restaurant chains". CNN . December 1, 2002.
    42. "Daiei to sell 2 units to Zensho group". Japan Weekly Monitor. December 9, 2002 via The Free Library.
    43. Huddleston, Justina (November 22, 2019). "The Untold Truth Of Big Boy". Mashed.com .
    44. "George Abdow, co-founder of Springfield-area Abdow's Big Boy restaurant chain, dies at 82". The Republican. Springfield, MA. May 29, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
    45. Hyland, John (August 4, 1984). "Abdow Brothers Cooking Up a Success". Hartford Courant. p. F8. Retrieved June 17, 2019 via Newspapers.com. [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.
    46. Massachusetts Secretary of State Corporate Search: Abdow's Big Boy of Riverdale, Inc.
    47. "Abdow's bids Big Boy adieu". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. April 15, 1994. p. C5. Retrieved June 17, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
    48. "Big Boy Bounced from New England". Kingman Daily Miner. Kingman, AZ. April 15, 1994. p. 1. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
    49. McKay, Jim (June 6, 1989). "Eat'n Park in high gear". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. 13, 15. Retrieved June 2, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Eat'n Park dropped the Big Boy franchise in 1975 Part 1
    50. "Peters, co-founder of Eat'n Park, dead at 87", Nation's Restaurant News , August 28, 2000.
    51. "Obituary: William D. Peters / President of Eat'n Park restaurants". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 20, 2000. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
    52. Kapner, Suzanne, "After 46 years, Eat'n Park still revs sales, appetites", Nation's Restaurant News , September 18, 1995.
    53. 1 2 "Elby's given rights to franchise". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. March 20, 1979. p. 14. Retrieved December 2, 2017 via Newspapers.com.
    54. "Friendly, Elby deal called off". The Boston Globe. United Press International. August 3, 1986. p. 84. Retrieved August 27, 2019 via Newspapers.com. [Elby's] includes 70 restaurants In West Virginia, Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and Maryland.
    55. Novotney, Steve (March 5, 2016). "The Elby's Empire: Part 4 - My Elby's". Weelunk. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
    56. "Boury Businesses Expanding". The Intelligencer. Wheeling WV. February 21, 1979. p. 27. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
    57. 1 2 3 4 Schaffer, Frank (April 17, 1962). "Charleston Drive-In Zooms To Huge 10-State Business". Charleston Daily Mail. pp. 12, 17. Retrieved February 26, 2013 via newspaperarchive.com. 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. 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.
    58. 1 2 3 4 Shoney's Home of the Nationally Famous Big Boy [Menu]. 1959. back cover. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017. 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 RoanokeNote: 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.
    59. "and... NOW THERE ARE 3 Elby's [advertisement]". Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian. March 28, 1960. p. 7. Retrieved July 30, 2016 via newspaperarchive.com.
    60. "Advertisement: Grand opening our 16th special". The Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian. January 11, 1971. p. 9. Retrieved September 7, 2016 via newspaperarchive.com.
    61. "Narcotics Evidence Is Found Illegal". Cumberland Evening Times. August 1, 1973. p. 27. Retrieved September 7, 2016 via newspaperarchive.com.
    62. 1 2 3 4 5 Leininger, Keith (December 6, 1984). "Cherubic Big Boy Caught in a Pickle" . News-Sentinel. Fort Wayne. Retrieved October 22, 2017 via NewsBank.
    63. 1 2 Harvilla, Michael (October 9, 2000). "Boury Says He Is Sad to See Big Boys Leave". Business. The Intelligencer. Wheeling, WV. p. 16. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
    64. . . .
      • Amatos, Christopher A. (April 2, 1989). "Elby's franchise switch makes it Shoney's today" . Columbus Dispatch. p. 7D via Newsbank. 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.
      • "Franchisee's 9 Shoney's Restaurants in area up for sale" . Columbus Dispatch. March 25, 1993. p. 1G. Retrieved September 8, 2017 via Newsbank. The nine units consist of seven in Columbus and one each in Newark and Heath.
      • Amatos, Christopher A. (August 5, 1993). "Owner closes five area JT's Restaurants" . Columbus Dispatch. p. 1B. Retrieved September 8, 2017 via Newsbank. 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.
    65. "Elby's rejoins Big Boy chain". Observer Reporter. Washington, PA. August 3, 1988. p. C-6. Retrieved February 14, 2013 via Google news.
    66. "Elby's Big Boy Strawberry Festival (Advertisement)". Observer Reporter. Washington, PA. April 26, 1994. p. B-2. Retrieved February 14, 2013 via Google news.
    67. . . .
      • "Elby's Opens in Scranton". The Weirton Daily Times. Thompson - Brush - Moore Newspapers. December 23, 1969. p. 5. Retrieved November 10, 2016 via newspaperarchive.com.
      • "Opens 16th Elby's". The Gettysburg Times. September 7, 1970. p. 3. Retrieved November 10, 2016 via newspaperarchive.com.
      • Dino, Jim (August 28, 2015). "Former Friendly's sold to investors". Standard Speaker. Hazelton, PA: Times-Shamrock Communications. Retrieved November 10, 2016. 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.
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    77. . . .
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         In New Mexico, JB's operates as Vip's Big Boy and in Nevada as Bob's Big Boy, the same as Arizona.
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    105. . . .
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    108. . . .
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    133. Higgins, Bette Lou (August 9, 2009). "Restaurants". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University . Retrieved 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.
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    157. "Applications Now Being Taken ... (Help Wanted Advertisement)". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 8, 1963. p. 37. Retrieved November 24, 2017 via Newspapers.com. ...Shoney's Restaurant (formerly Tunes Big Boy) Roosevelt Blvd. at Cottman
    158. "Levittown Restaurant Opens". Bristol Daily Courier. December 7, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved December 13, 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com.
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    162. "Restaurant Chain Expands to E.P." El Paso Herald Post. August 29, 1963. p. 32. Retrieved September 9, 2016 via newspaperarchive.com. 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.
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    165. "Children's project gets $1,000 gift". Santa Fe New Mexican Sun. August 15, 1982. p. 4. Retrieved November 2, 2016 via newspaperarchive.com. 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.
    166. "VIP's officials announce sale of restaurants". The Register-Guard . Eugene, Oregon. August 18, 1984. p. 9B. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
    167. "[Advertisement] Mady's Big Boy Turns Back the Clock on Food Prices!". The Windsor Star. March 23, 1968. p. D3. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
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