SeeCalifornia.com

Among 38 million Californians, many who will celebrate the weekend and added bonus Veterans Day, some will take a small trip, others will attend family functions and activities, and others will begin stringing holiday lights or try to get a head-start on Christmas shopping at the dozens of crafts fairs throughout the state. They will all get hungry and want to eat. Does a Bob’s Big Boy sound nice? I thought of it during an evening walk last night when I saw this Bob’s Big Boy statue on a boat dock. I went looking for Bob but had to settle for In N Out as there were no Big Boys around.  At one time you would have found an abundance of Bob’s Big Boy restaurants in California but today, they have all but disappeared. Born in Glendale, California back in 1936 when Bob Wian sold his prized DeSoto Roadster to purchase a small hamburger stand called Bob’s Pantry, the chain now exists largely in Michigan and the Midwest where there are 102 restaurants, while California has around 9. What happened after the delicious double-decker burger, the Big Boy, which was named after a chubby six-year-old boy in droopy overalls, came into popularity?

To find out how one Big Boy is hanging on, head to the oldest Bob’s Big Boy in the chain, a historic landmark built in 1949. This restaurant brought back car hops and on the first Saturday of the month from 5 to 8 p.m., cars from near and far converge for Trophy Night and 50s Costume Contest. They also have added vegetarian items to the menu!  Location: 4211 W Riverside Dr., Burbank. Call: (818) 843-9334, or see: bobs.net