Friday, February 16, 2024

Big Boy on Brookpark Revisited

Big Boy
, the iconic double-decker hamburger with the distinctive white sauce, has been the subject of many blog posts over the years, usually as part of a post about Manners (who was the official licensee in our part of Ohio for many years).
After a blog post last fall featuring a Thanksgiving-themed Big Boy coloring contest, my taste buds couldn't wait any longer; I had to take a mini-road trip after work and visit a restaurant! There are two within a reasonable driving distance: one in Port Clinton and one on Brookpark Road in Cleveland. The Brookpark one was closer, so off I went.
The last time I had been there, it was well after dark when I arrived. So on this visit, it was nice to get a good look at the restaurant's exterior in the late afternoon sun. It's kind of retro. I like it.
And of course, the statue of Big Boy himself was pretty much all the signage anybody needed to determine which building it was.
I suppose having him on the roof is also a good deterrent to any wacky prankster who might be entertaining thoughts of taking Mr. Big on a road trip against his will.

Inside there was another statue. The restaurant was nicely decorated and clean.
I didn't have to wait long for my take-out, as it was not quite dinner time yet and it wasn't super busy. But I enjoyed hanging out there and watching the interaction between the friendly waitresses and their regulars. 

With my Big Boy and fries in tow, I headed back out to my car. I couldn't resist one last photo.
I'm sorry, but I was unable to get a photo of my Big Boy. (I'm sure there's an ordinance prohibiting driving while eating dinner and photographing said dinner with your phone.) But it was delicious!


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember the Big Boy in Amherst.Too bad it got torn down and now it's nothing but a gas station.

-Alan D Hopewell said...

I ate at Manners and Bobs Big Boy many times over the years, enjoying many different meals, but I never had an actual Big Boy; perhaps the distinctive white sauce deterred me.

Anonymous said...

Big Boy's brings back memories from childhood (Lorain Manners), teen years (Toledo Frisch's) to now (Louisville, KY Frisch's). If there's a sandwich Hall of Fame Big Boy would be Babe Ruth. Todd

Buster said...

I grew up near the first Manners Big Boy restaurant, on Lake Shore Blvd. in Cleveland. It actually was in existence for 15 years before becoming a Big Boy franchisee in 1954. That one was a drive-in, which was common for the chain before they become restaurants later on. The site was fairly near the first McDonalds in Cleveland, which opened in 1961. Both were close to Euclid Beach Park. All three are gone now.

Harrison Baumbaugh said...

Big Boy is alive and well in Cincinnati.Frisch's feature him at all the locations with the famous statue out front.In fact had a big boy platter a week ago.Tasty!!

Mike Kozlowski said...

...For us, Manners Big Boy was a HUGE treat - went to the one at the corner of Oberlin Avenue and 254 on a few occasions, and the one that used to be on Granger Road just before it went down into the Cloverleaf. Place had THE best french fried mushrooms I've ever had.