Photo credit to www.facebook.com

Today, June 15th, is National Big Boy Day!

Now, if you're wondering what a "Big Boy" is, let me tell you—it just might be one of the most delicious burgers ever created. Long before fast-food chains were on every corner, the original Big Boy was serving up a meal that felt larger than life. It featured three pieces of sesame seed bun, two juicy burger patties, a slice of American cheese, mayonnaise, shredded lettuce, and its signature red burger relish. In today's world, we'd call it a double-decker burger, but back then, it was something entirely new.

The story begins in 1936, just a few months after a young entrepreneur named Bob Wian opened a small 10-stool lunch counter in Glendale, California. After selling his car for $300 to buy the restaurant, he renamed it Bob's Pantry and set out to create something special.

As the story goes, according to bobs.net, one late evening a regular customer stopped in and asked Bob for something "different." Thinking on his feet, Bob sliced a bun into three sections, stacked two hamburger patties in between, added the toppings, and served up what he called the "Double-Deck Hamburger." The customer loved it, and before long, a legend was born.

The burger's name came about in an equally memorable way. A cheerful, chubby six-year-old boy named Richard Woodruff often helped around the restaurant doing odd jobs. One day, Bob couldn't remember the youngster's name and simply called out, "Hey, Big Boy!" The nickname stuck, and soon so did the name of the burger. What started as an offhand remark would eventually become one of the most recognizable restaurant mascots in America...Bob's Big Boy^®

For many of us, Big Boy restaurants bring back memories of family road trips, weekend dinners, and those giant fiberglass Big Boy statues standing proudly outside the restaurant doors. There was something exciting about spotting one along the highway and knowing a good meal was waiting inside.

While the Big Boy name once stretched across much of the country through various franchise locations, only four original Bob's Big Boy restaurants remain today, all located in Southern California. Still, the burger's legacy lives on, proving that sometimes the simplest ideas—a hungry customer, a creative cook, and a memorable nickname—can become a piece of American history.

I have such fond memories of Bob's Big Boy when I was a little girl. Since I was born in Glendale, California, the home of the original location, I went there many times as a little girl!  It was fun traveling down memory lane again with my mom today, as I began to do my homework for this blog.  She has many more fun memories than I do!  She told me that both of her parents worked there when they were younger, my gram as a waitress and my papa as a cook!  I read somewhere today that one of the requirements of the job were for the ladies to wear a beehive hairdo while working. The funny part about that is apparently my gram really loved that hairdo because for the whole rest of her life that's pretty much how I always remember her wearing her hair. 

We would meet my grandparents and my great grandparents, my aunt and uncle and cousins at the Montrose location (see image below) for dinner frequently.  My dad and I always ordered the Big Boy.  We loved it!  My mom and my brother always ordered the spaghetti and chili, that's a no thank you from me.  But at the end of dinner, I always remember my gram ordering the hot fudge cake.  YUMMY!  So many fun memories.  Thank you for allowing me to share them with you.  

Just for an added bonus, I thought I'd share a recipe, courtesy of www.allrecipes.com that I keep seeing for tiny versions similar to this classic burger.  Enjoy :)   JK

     Big Mac Sliders

Slider Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• cooking spray
• 1 (12 ounce) package Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls (such as King's Hawaiian)
• 1/3 cup Big Mac Sauce (recipe below)
• 6 (1/2 ounce each) American cheese slices
• 2/3 cup drained dill pickle chips
• 1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion (from 1 small 5 ounce onion)
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 cup packed shredded iceberg lettuce (from 1 small [1 pound] head)

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Nutrition Facts (per serving)