Big Boy Restaurant

We actually refer to this place as Big Bun Boy because it COULD be a Bun Boy… but it might be a Big Boy… it’s all very confusing.
We always used to stop at the one in Baker… which WAS a Bun Boy. but then that changed to a Big Boy’s.but now I think it’s a Bun Boy again, and I think THIS location is a Big Boy? This description is making my brain hurt.
Anyways, it’s something now… couldn’t tell you which one. The service was super slow, but the lady was nice. The food… was not very good. They whited out the names on the menus instead of changing them… maybe because they might change back next week.
The building is weird. You can see the name faintly of what it used to be. They should probably fix that. The bathroom was semi-​gross.
I think my favorite part were the pixalated pictures of burgers FROM THE IN N’ OUT WEBSITE that they copied and pasted into their menus and adopted as their own LOL

Slow service to even get seated which should have been a sign of things to come.
Lousy Burgers, very bland., totally fell apart. Not at all what the burgers used to taste like when it was Bob’s Big Boy
In fact, the old

First time to eat at this famous burger joint and was not completely satisfied with the overall experience.
The place needed more ventilation as the smoke from the kitchen grill fills up the air leaving you smelling like the hamburgers you have ordered. Usually stop over at other places to dine in before fueling up halfway through the San Diego and Las Vegas road trip, but I was greatly amazed to find Big Boy Restaurant in the middle of the desert at Barstow.
This franchise owner should read all the reviews posted about his business in order to keep notes on which areas to improve.

OHHHHH-​MMMM-​GEEEEE!!! NEVER again!!!
I am glad to say that this was the first AND the last time I will ever go here, as I was just passing thru on my way home from Vegas.
We decided to stop here w/​my elderly grandmother as we had been on the road for a while and we were tired of fast food type places. She insisted that we go to a sit down restaurant before we finished the final leg of our journey. By the time we left, even my Granny was wishing that had kept driving.
We went in and were seated… we paid no attention to the hours of operation. After we were seated by a hurried waiter, he informed us that thye were closing in 10min and we needed to order ASAP. Now I feel bad for going in at closing, but I didnt know it was closing time as I was a weary traveller.
We felt really rushed, and so we placed our order. I kid you not our food came out in less than 10min, and there was 4 adults and 1 child in our party. That should have been a warning sign right there, but the food looked good so we dug in.
My burger was undercooked in most parts, but I just ate around them and tried to make the best out of it. My husbands burger was also undercooked. I had also ordered a choc. shake and the waiter told me that he would try to get me one since they were closing (this order was placed at the same time as my meal). I had asked that the milkshake be brought out with my food. He kept saying he would see what he could do since they were closing and had to clean out the machine. When my shake came, I felt as if they had poured it when I ordered it and then brought it to my table, as it was foamy and not creamy.
We sat there and tried to eat, but our waiter kept reminding us that they were closing. We felt REALLY rushed and as we were finishing our food, they started vacuuming and closing down the restaurant. Our drinks etc were not refilled as our waiter was pre-​occupied w/​getting the hell out of there.
I went to use the restroom and then leave, however I had to get an associate to come unlock the front door to even get out of there.
All in all, the food was undercooked in an attempt to get us out of there, the milkshake was foamy, the service although it was friendly was rushed. Most restaurants, even if they are closing, will accomodate you and make sure you have a good dining experience but not this place.
Will NOT be going back again

It’s apt that there would be a Bob’s Big Boy in Barstow, a proverbial hell hole occupied by seemingly nothing but hill folk. Admittedly, that sounds very elitist of me, and it insinuates that all of the patrons that frequent the restaurant chain are of that caliber. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but notice that the majority of the customer base consisted of morbidly obese subjects, most of which sported unkempt appearances, and whose concept of healthy eating translated into having a Diet Coke while inhaling a platter of Bob’s Chili Spaghetti.
Unfortunately, Barstow was the midpoint in our trip to Las Vegas, and when my travel companion saw the statue showcasing Big Boy’s fat ass, he, due to childhood nostalgia, went apeshit bananas and wouldn’t even consider having lunch elsewhere. So, lunch at Bob’s it was.
I wanted to play it safe and not waste my appetite on Bob’s calorie-​infested menu; therefore, I opted for the Fiesta Salad with chicken ($ 8.99). Served in a large tortilla shell, and consisting of greens, avocado, olives, pinto beans, cheese, and a salsa dressing, it wasn’t half bad. My lunching partner chose the half sandwich and soup. His first inclination was to dive into a plate of the Chili Spaghetti, but I managed to disuade him. In hindsight, I feel bad for doing so, especially considering his excitement about dining there. Notwithstanding, he was grateful later in the evening that we played lunch conservatively.
Service was great. Our waitress was very responsive, checked on us frequently, and made us feel welcome. The food was surprisingly decent. It didn’t wow me, per se, but I wasn’t horrified, either. That’s always a good thing.

If ever there was a restaurant that needed a «Robert Irvine makeover»… this is the place. Bob’s in general are quite decent for a chain burger (and more) place, but the Barstow Bob’s is not in keeping with the corporate quality and appearance standards. This place is super busy and super high volume, but they seem to let that get in the way of quality and appearance. Why hasn’t Bob’s management noticed???
Let me start with the gripes:
1. There is a big initial confusion to check in. The line to pay and the line to check-​in are in the exact same place. Negotiating the mayhem is a tad challenging but once the check-​in desk is found then the process is fairly straightforward. You might bet seated, or you might get put on the list to be seated when a table becomes available.
2. If in the list, the waiting area is a small bench near the window, wedged between some booths and the broken game-​of-​chance… which is too big to begin with and occupies space better suited to providing seating for customers waiting.
3. Once seated, the banquettes are so rickety that one can get seasick from the motion of the adjoining customers as they shift in their seat. I’ve never experienced this phenomenon anywhere else… and I’m certainly not the only one who has noticed it or had a lousy lunch because of fidgety neighbors.
4. Wait staff who are working so fast to accommodate everyone that they appear rude and rushed. Oh… and their idea of following up is basically to put the check on the table long after customers have given up on the notion of getting a beverage refill.
5. Some menu items just taste like cr@p. Stay way from the fish sandwich (and, I assume, the fish and chips too).
6. Everything was sticky and old-​looking. Old and sticky table, menus, and condiment containers. The display items inthe check-​in/​paying line area are so old and dried out that they really don’t represent the Bob’s product line very much. To be honest, my reachion was, «Eeeeow» when I looked at them.
Now for the nice comments:
1. If you stick with the tried-​and-​true basics — like the Big Boy and fries, or a shake — you will be rewarded with a yummy lunch. Those two items are quite good!
2. The men’s room was old looking but quite clean and actually featured really hot water… which is a good thing from a sanitation perspective. Thanks very much for that!

To Melanie L (as noted on the receipt):
Thanks for providing such bad service today. I didn’t appreciate the fact that you forgot my salad. Also, I was pretty parched and trying to flag you down… well actually we only saw you twice (1. to drop off the salad that you forgot and when you dropped it off, you couldn’t recognize which salad had the ranch dressing, 2. to take out initial order). You are supposed to check up on us (as a good waiter normally does) but you never bothered. The restaurant was not busy, so you don’t have any excuse as to why you never bothered to return to our table. We definitely noticed your harder working male associate helping the other tables. I wish we had him as a waiter.
Regards,
Alan K.

I remember eating here when I was little with my family. I don’t think I have had it since at least 1987 though.
BF and I stopped in on the way home from Vegas. We walked in and I am pretty sure we stepped right back into 1987. Wow.
We both had to use the bathroom and we both agreed that these were the nastiest bathrooms we had ever been in. The toilet seat was not connected to the actual toilet in my stall, it was just sitting on top of it. The floor was wet and the toilet paper holder was completely broken. One of the sinks didn’t work, and neither did the paper towel holder. If you can avoid the bathroom, do it.
We were seated and we both decided to get the Original Big Boy combo. BF got his with salad, I skipped the salad and just got the fries.
The salad came out pretty quickly, it was good, but I could have made that at home with a jar of their Blue Cheese salad dressing.
The food arrived. It was alright. I immediately remembered the taste once I bit into it. Hello, 1987, nice to see you again. While their burger is okay, it’s just too mushy for my taste. There is nothing crisp… I would have liked an onion or whole pieces of lettuce instead of the shredded stuff.
When we were leaving our waitress brought us drinks to go, which I thought was very nice of her.
This place was alright for a quick stop on the way home from Vegas, but I don’t think I will be going to any of the locations near my house in the future. Bob’s Big Boy can forever remain a 1980’s memory for me.

Never been to a Bob’s Big Boy before. For some reason I’d always thought it was a fast food joint, but it wasn’t quite like a BK’s or Mickey D’s — more like a Denny’s or IHOP.
Wasn’t feeling a burger, but guess that’s what they specialize in. Hubby got the burger. I wanted a club sandwich. I was able to get it on rye bread and I asked for it to be light on the mayo.
Interesting group of people eating in one of these — I dunno — hubby said I don’t ‘get out much’ but ya know what? I don’t get out much to areas where … I digress. I just don’t think some people should be eating this type of food.
My club sandwich wasn’t bad. Hubby’s burger was gross. He said it had their special sauce on it, but I’d say it was special — special bad! The young man’s chicken tenders were nice though, moist and not greasy. In fact, all their fried foods — fries, onion rings — were all not greasy at all. Most places, you pick up the fried foods and your fingers have a layer of grease on them.
I thought our server was very pleasant — but I doubt I’ll ever go back to a Bob’s Big Boy again.