Big Boy brings back burgers, nostalgia

     By Damon Hodge
     View staff writer
      The Big Boy is back and he's better than ever.
      The 63-year-old family restaurant famous for its thick malts, double decker burgers and the overalls-clad, freckle-faced Big Boy character has returned to Las Vegas after a 12-year absence.
      The restaurant is ready to carve a new niche in the public while keeping nostalgia-seekers happy.
      "We bring to Las Vegas 63 years of the tradition and excellence that has made Big Boy a worldwide success," said Tony Michaels, executive vice president of marketing and public relations for Elias Brothers Corp. which owns the franchise. "We're looking forward to rolling out the welcome mat and showing the entire Las Vegas community the Big Boy difference."
      The difference is evident in everything from the quality of the food, to the service to the atmosphere, said Mike Nannini, owner of the 2131 Rock Springs Drive restaurant, which opened in mid-July.
      When the Elias Brothers Corp. purchased Bob's Big Boy from Marriot in 1987, the Warren, Mich., company created a singular design. The new prototype included a Big Boy gift shop with a line of paraphernalia featuring the chubby-cheeked character, a pie shop and an ice cream counter.
      The menu was upgraded to include wide-ranging fare, from three-egg omelettes and a complete breakfast bar to spaghetti, fish and chips and pork chops.
      Big Boy also hit the big screen, most notably in "Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery." Powers, played by Mike Myers, a British agent with a hyperactive libido, pursues the infamous Dr. Evil whose vehicle of choice is a Big Boy spacecraft.
      While much is new, Nannini said, Big Boy still has it's Midwest charm.
      "I can't tell you how many people have come up to me and said thank you. They grew up on Big Boy, just like I did," he said.
      Nannini started as a dishwasher at Bob's Big Boy in Harper Woods, Mich., at age 14. At 20, he was assistant manager and from 1986 to 1991, a franchise owner. He moved to Las Vegas in 1993 and worked as a general manager at an Applebee's restaurant and in the food and beverage department at the Monte Carlo.
      When the Elias Brothers bought the struggling Shoney's franchises, Nannini used the opportunity to make a case for another Big Boy in Las Vegas. Weak profits doomed the city's first Big Boy, which was located in the southeast part of town.
      "At first they were skeptical because of the past," Nannini said. "I figured Vegas would be a great opportunity. The restaurant has had success in other states and I didn't see why it couldn't do the same here. It took about 2 1/2-years but it paid off."
      Patrons seem pleased, especially baby boomers and fiftysomethings.
      Stoking the nostalgia are menus from nearly each decade, including the first menu. Shrimp was 60 cents, a Kansas City steak sandwich cost 45 cents, two pancakes ran 50 cents and beverages included Nesbitt Orange Drink and Sparkeeta-Up. Big Boy wore faded red-and-white checkered overalls and was a rather chubby fellow -- probably the result of too many double decker burgers, also known as the Big Boy.
      The Big Boy cost 35 cents in 1936. It was $1.15 in the 1960s as the menu grew to include salads and more dinners and $1.65 in the 1970s as more restaurant-type food was added. Big Boys run around $2.49 today.
      A black-and-white photo of the first Big Boy hangs in the gift shop. It was Bob's Pantry then, named after Bob Wian. Legend has it that Wian's created Bob's Big Boy after a little boy came into his five-counter seat restaurant with slick-backed hair and red-and-white checkered overalls, Nannini said. A customer drew a picture of the boy, showed it to Wian and Bob's Big Boy was born.
      When the Elias Brothers purchased the franchise, Bob was dropped. California has the nation's oldest remaining Bob's Big Boy. The restaurant was built in 1949 and the towering Bob's sign is an integral part of the design and the building's most prominent feature. The state of California designated the restaurant a state point of historical interest in 1993.
      "Hopefully by attracting the older customers, we'll attract their children and grandchildren," Nannini said. "If they can tell them how much fun they had at Big Boy when they were going up, it may influence the younger folks to give us a try. I think they'll like the experience and we can create new memories."
      Nannini expects business to be just as good at the Nellis Boulevard Big Boy he's opening in the coming weeks.