Bob's Big Boy - Arizona Historical Society - Tempe, AZ
N 33° 26.550 W 111° 56.032
12S E 413198 N 3700734
A Bob's Big Boy statue is part of the Desert Cities exhibit at the Arizona Historical Society.
Waymark Code: WMM277
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 07/06/2014
Views: 9
Bob's Big Boy was a big early player in the expanding Arizona fast food restaurant scene in the 1950s and 1960s. The first Big Boy in Arizona was built at Central Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix in 1954. (Information from (
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From the exhibit signage (pictured):
"Restaurants like Bob's Big Boy provided food and a place for people to gather. They also signaled the disappearance of small "mom-and-pop" restaurants as franchises began to gather economic clout.
For three decades, beginning in the 1950s, Bob's Big Boy was a cultural icon for young people in the Valley [of the Sun, where Phoenix is]. To teenagers, it represented "hanging out," cruising, and fun. Younger children and adults enjoyed the food and atmosphere.
Bob's Big Boy restaurants operated in the Phoenix area until J.B. Restaurants purchased them in the late 1980s. They disappeared from the scene until 2002, when restaurant owners planned the opening of new Bob's Big Boy restaurants."
The exhibit includes an original Bob's Big Boy statue on the "outside" of the restaurant, and "inside" signage, a counter, and a genuine Big Boy menu from the 1950s. It is part of the "Desert Cities" exhibit at the Arizona Historical Society, which includes mock houses and farms, a movie theater, a post office, and downtown area.
Historical Society hours:
Tues. – Sat. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Sun. noon – 4 p.m.
Closed on Mondays and state holidays
Admission: $5 adults, $4 others, children under 11 free
Admission free with a Culture Pass from a local library
Two-for-one admission on Tuesdays