Frisch’s Big Boy

Laziness prevailed and my gut lost. A long drive found me in Maumee, staying at the Hampton Inn. It was 5pm, and my road dog and I were hungry. All I really wanted was a beer and something resembling decent food. I didn’t care at this point. I Unilocaled a 4 Star place across the street. It had beer and what appeared to be decent food based on the reviews. Then it happened. We planned on walking across the street to the 4-​Star Unilocal approved purveyor of food. Then we noticed the busy obstacle before us (the street). We also noticed how far it was to the corners to safely cross. My road dog is in his older years and not feeling as frisky as he once was, so that option was looking dim. I could have gone to get the car, how difficult could that be? Then I look to my right and see a Big Boy. I haven’t seen one of those in YEARS, so I open my mouth and the next thing I know we’re walking through the door. Wow… I wanted to run, but who was I kidding. I was now stuck. Friendly host, who became our server. I’ll give him an «A» for effort. Salad bar was fine too. We’re talking basic restaurant with basic cooking skills food. I’m guessing my food was pre-​made (I thought I ordered fried chicken, but got breaded chicken patties). The taste was between awful at times and bland… it really all depended on the bite. Since it was covered with gravy… I couldn’t see the patties or potatoes (probably a good thing). My road dog ordered a senior chicken breast. Yep, he got a plain chicken breast sitting on a small plate with a few fries tossed around to fill up the empty space. It looked pathetic. Oh yeah… I don’t think they served beer, so I missed out on that too. The décor was basic mid-80’s style that hasn’t been updated. It’s really just a basic restaurant with very basic food that has little or no flavor. Bad choice. I should have went with my initial choice, but I’m a slacker and paid for it this time around. Sorry stomach!

One star because I had to have at least one to post, I’ve come several times and the food is awful! Good service but no matter what I’ve gotten it was absolutely gross!

S L O W. Food was also horrible. Took 20 min in drive through for the worst food. Pass this blast from the past by. Should have Unilocaled it first.

Honestly, I mainly wanted to check this place out because it was featured in the Austin Powers movies. I almost feel like that could be the sole reason why this chain still exists.

Perhaps my judgement at 3:00 AM is not what it used to be…
I have lots of great memories at Big Boy, most of them involved a group of less-​than-​sober friends stumbling in after the bars close looking for a warm seat for our over-​worked behinds. We looked forward to coating our throats with equal parts caffeine and grease. Big Boy always fit the bill nicely.
On the surface, Big Boy has a lot to offer when it comes to classic American diner fare — they serve breakfast all day, they have a decent soup/​salad bar, and a menu full of the kind of things you crave when trying to suffer through a hangover. But what does Big Boy offer when your options are much more than IHOP or Steak N’ Shake?
Our family was doing some Christmas shopping in the area, and my two young daughters were hungry. We didn’t have much time and were trying to keep the budget small — but none of us were thinking fast food. How about Big Boy? The girls excitedly accepted my proposition. That jolly, checkered, over-​sized character greeting us always brings a «Ronald McDonald”-esque smile to children’s faces… oh, what it is to be young…
On the flip side of my usual patronage, about 3:00 PM this time, on a Sunday afternoon, the place was much quieter. Our waitress seemed to light up the tiniest smile when seeing my absolutely adorable children prance in with delight. Her expression wore off rather quickly, however, and reverted back to the default «My life is a purgatory of suffering and shame» attitude.
I won’t go into great lengths to complain. The food was exactly the same it had been so many late nights before. The difference was we were sober. It’s like the morning after, when you realize the «10» you snagged on the dance floor was really a «4» with 3 inches of make-​up rubbed off on your pillow. The fries were bland and lifeless. My two girls each ordered the $ 4 chicken fingers meal… both were served in small baskets with just 2 microscopic tenders and about 11 fries. My wife’s and my burgers were par for the course. Nostalgic — in a «reminds me of a better time, when this meal cost me $ 2.25 in the high school cafeteria“kind of way.
Our waitress made around 7 – 8 trips to our table during our less-​than-​an-​hour visit, and I started to get the impression we were keeping her from her 2^nd job elsewhere. We kept insisting that we were fine, once we had ketchup and silverware. While my wife took our youngest to the restroom, she sneakily managed to lift away my wife’s plate, which still had about 6 of her 13 fries left on it. A few moments later, the waitress finally confessed, after initially insisting «there was no rush» that she was ready to clock out and that her manager wants her to cash out. So rather than take our check to the cashier afterwards, we were «forced» to pay our bill at the table while she anxiously tapped her foot.
That’s when I noticed the bill. 2 Waters (free), 2 Super Big Boys with Fries, and 2 Chicken Fingers Kids Meals (drinks included)…grand total? $ 27 (Before our tip), but my wife swore she later overheard our server complaining about how lousy her tip was. Maybe she got her tip confused with her marriage, I can’t be sure.
Needless to say, we left Big Boy feeling so… hoodwinked. It was like paying $ 12 for an automatic car wash, then seeing 6 girls in bikinis washing cars for $ 5 across the street. Seeing the Five Guys sign across Reynolds Road was like a kick to the groin. For perhaps a couple extra singles, I could be GOING HAM on one of those foil-​wrapped lumps of Heaven.
Hopefully, regardless of my level of toxicity on a late Friday night, I’ll be sober enough to talk myself out of another trip to Big Mistake, Boy. At least McDonald’s has a playground and they put toys in their meals.

Most people associate Big Boy Restaurants by the signature character wearing red and white checkered overalls holding a cheeseburger. Where I grew up in Virginia, there was a Big Boy Restaurant just down the street from my house and we would eat there often. However, it has been a long time since I’ve even thought about that place.
Frisch’s Big Boy
On a recent road trip, my companion Chad and I were just outside of Toledo, OH and we were getting hungry. We stumbled upon a Big Boy Restaurant and I just had to eat there for nostalgia’s sake.
We were actually thrilled to find that they still have a salad bar which was just what we were craving.
The salad bar was clean and well-​stocked. We both loaded up our plates with lettuce, tomatoes, croutons and sunflower seeds.
Chad also ordered the Tuna Salad Sandwich on white toast. The menu claims the tuna to be the best in the world– I don’t know why– it was just your average tuna salad. His side of sweet potato fries were pretty good though.
I went for the simple Grilled Cheese Sandwich– just a few pieces of processed cheese on grilled Texas toast. Nothing special– the cheese was hardly melted, however, it hit the spot.
The rest of the menu is mostly of the good old fashioned home cooking variety– Cheeseburgers, Chef Salads and Open-​faced Turkey Sandwiches.
Big Boy doesn’t stand out among the elite of diners, however, for old time’s sake it was worth a visit.

Went today, I don’t expect a lot from Big Boy, but some things I really like. Milkshakes are great, grilled cheese. Hubs loves the Big Boys.
Normally, staff pretty friendly. Went through drive through today, must have gotten the manager at the window… was wearing a tie and a long sleeved white shirt. Most unfriendly. Didn’t look at me or even stoop down to look out the window. Shoved the receipt and board at me (used my debit card). No thank you, no words spoken at all. When I said «thank you» he ignored me. Another girl brought my food, very friendly.
Frisch’s are already struggling… being rude isn’t helping

We ordered a big boy and salad bar. Sent the burgers back after one bite. They weren’t even warm and the salad was just ok if that. Won’t be back.

My lunch was OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE!
$ 2 for a 6 ounce cup of coffee.
$ 2 for a finger sized strip of haddock fish that was mostly batter.
Cole slaw served in a WARM bowl. Gross!
Plenty of French fries, though. But I haven’t considered French fries a meal since I was 12.
Heat like a blast furnace. Guaranteed to dry out your nose.
Not a good value at all. For the $ 13 I spent there, I could have went to McDonald’s and at least left there FULL.

Terrible service Poorly prepared food
The food was overcooked yet cold, service lousy… too bad I can leave a no star rating!

Big boy has been my favorite way to wrap up a trip to Toledo for decades. It’s been a year since I’ve visited and was looking forward to a big boy platter. So disappointed in the quality of the big boy sandwich. The meat was dry and it was hardly a burger. The sauce was mayo and the salad bar had really wet lettuce. The cleanliness was as it always been; greasy and outdated booths. The server Suzanne was the bright spot in a dreary space. She was kind, friendly and efficient.

Just returned from a very disappointing visit. I think I am like other reviewers who remember how good it USED to be. Not anymore. The place was deserted, that’s when I might have suspected something, however I went ahead and tried it out. The prices were high, and all the sandwiches did not include fries for the price.
The worst part was I could have easily done a better job cooking at home.
The fries and onion rings and a strange brown color. I thought fries should have a nice golden yellow color. My husband says that their oil in the fryers is too old.
My husbands fish was really deep brown, again with the old oil.
Portions were small and I left the place feeling disgusted that I just spent that much money on such poor quality food. Big Boy has just not evolved with the changing tastes of Americans. What used to be good in the 70’s is not ok today.

Fast friendly service (poor air conditioning) however my server Sat me in the coolest section. Cola and slaw was great so was big boy sandwich. I will be back soon!

Why is it that sometimes when you revisit something from your childhood, it just doesn’t measure up?
Growing up in Cincinnati, Frisch’s Big Boy was a mainstay for my family. Burgers with the special Frisch’s tartar sauce, Swiss Miss or Brawny Lad on a rye bun, vegetable soup, cherry cokes, hot fudge cake… MMMMMM!!!
On a recent road trip, I stumbled across this Frisch’s in Maumee, Ohio. I was excited! It’s been decades since I had been to a Frisch’s.
Sadly, it wasn’t like I remembered. My Swiss Miss burger was small and nothing special. The cup of vegetable soup tasted like Campbell’s. The restaurant was empty, but the service was spotty. I ate my food, paid my check and climbed back into the car — disappointed. Is my memory faulty, or is it just not as good as it used to be? Sigh…

Slow, mediocre and slow. I suppose in some ways it’s what might expect but still, one does hope an institution can rise above it’s reputation. They do sell big boy banks — $ 6.99