The Bob’s Big Boy restaurant chain started as a 10-stool burger stand at 900 E Colorado St, Glendale in 1936. It found success quickly and grew into full-service drive-in restaurant. This photo was taken in the 1940s when this glorious neon was, I’d imagine, an eye-catching landmark. What I love most about this shot is how the light from the underside of the wraparound porch is reflecting the tops of the cars just enough to silhouette them as the drivers wait for their double-deck hamburgers.
Andrew says: “I once met the man who designed that Bobs, and the one in Toluca lake: Wayne McAllister. An amazing man with with an enormous list of great architecture. Unfortunately few remain. Another restaurant that Wayne designed still stands. The Smoke House also in Toluca Lake/Burbank.”
Here is an announcement in the Los Angeles Times of the opening of Bob’s Big Boy restaurant at night, 900 E Colorado St, Glendale, California, April, 1936.
What’s there now is a typical Californian mini mall. This image is from April 2019:
I went to this Bob’s many times in the 1940’s – 1960’s. What a glorious place to have what was then the best double decked burger around, topped off by a double thick malt, so thick you had to eat it with a spoon.
GOD DAMMIT WHAT BOBS BIG BOY DRIVE-IN WAS THE FIRST TO BE BUILT? GLENDALE AT COLORADO or TOLUCA LAKE ON RIVERSIDE DR?
Glendale was first, then Toluca Lake. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob%27s_Big_Boy#Bob's_Pantry
Nice article, but it’s the 1956 one for the final restaurant there..replacing the so named ‘twin” version seen in the color photo. (Images of this last one are very rare too, and generally of low quality. There is one great interior shot up by the cashier point looking along the Colorado Blvd. frontage.) Carhops did continue here but eventually ended while the dining area kept going. Nice to see it confirmed here that this was also a McAllister job in addition to Toluca (er, Burbank for the borders-minded among us) location.