Traverse City’s Big Boy comes of age

By Janice Binkert | Jan. 7, 2017

For anyone who grew up back in the mid- to late 20th century, the image of a chubby cartoon kid in red-and-white checked bib overalls sporting a faintly James Dean-like pompadour — and holding high a double-deck cheeseburger almost as big as his head — brings back fond memories.

Mom and dad would pile the whole gang into the family station wagon and head over to their local Big Boy restaurant, where they would tuck into said cheeseburger, officially known as the Classic Big Boy, or another menu staple like the Famous Slim Jim, both accompanied by a heap of fries, washing it all down with a hand-dipped chocolate malt or ice-cream float. Dessert? A generous piece of strawberry pie smothered in whipped cream. Those were the days.

But definitely not bygone days: The Big Boy restaurant chain, founded in Glendale, Calif., in 1936, celebrated its 80th anniversary last year. This year, Traverse City’s Big Boy will mark its 40th anniversary, and its enduring popularity suggests that a whole new generation has embraced this iconic brand. In fact, Traverse City’s Big Boy is the fifth-busiest franchise in the entire state of Michigan, sales-wise (out of nearly 100).

LIFE WITH BIG BOY

Mark Hamlyn, who helmed Traverse City’s Big Boy for those four decades (he retired in December), basically grew up in the corporation. 

“I’ve worked for Big Boy since I was fourteen,” he said. “My uncle was their president at the time, based in Warren. I used to take a bus to downtown Detroit from the suburbs and worked at a Big Boy near the bus depot busing tables. Eventually I moved up to working as a cook, and continued part-time during high school and college. I’ve worked in their restaurants, their commissary and their shipping department, and in 1972, I became partners with my uncle’s daughter — my cousin — and we opened two franchises in suburban Detroit and ran them for about four years. We sold them when I moved up here and to open this store in 1977.”

While Hamlyn was obviously the longest-term member of his team, he had several veteran staff members.

“Debbie has been here for the past 35 years, Deborah for almost 30, Nadine and Bonnie for 16 years each, and Case for about 12,” he said. “It’s good, cohesive team. The best piece of wisdom I ever got was years ago, when one of our regular customers told me, ‘Mark, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t come in here for you. I come in here because Debbie and Deborah know how I like my eggs.’ I never had an ego issue, but I realized then that my main job was to hire and keep good staff, offer benefits, whatever it was to avoid turnover. Customers like the familiarity, and they like to know that they can depend on the consistency of our food and our service.”

THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY

Speaking of eggs, with its policy of “buy local” whenever possible, Big Boy uses exclusively large-grade AA Michigan eggs that are hormone-, antibiotic- and steroid-free, sourced from a farm in Martin. Eggs, not surprisingly, feature prominently on the four-page breakfast menu that includes everything from Belgian waffles to three versions of potato pancakes, six versions of hot cakes, and country fried steak, as well as Build Your Own Blockbuster Breakfast and Build-Your-Own 3-Egg Omelette sections — just for starters. Oh, and there’s the World Famous Weekend Breakfast and Fruit Buffet, which is free for kids 5 and under with any adult breakfast buffet purchase.

And as if that all didn’t provide enough options, years ago, Hamlyn started offering a breakfast special — another separate menu card — and leaves the coffee pots right on the tables. These practices are not standard at other Big Boy franchises, but Hamlyn knows his customer base, and corporate was fine with the changes.

“They allowed me the flexibility to do things a little different in my market if I thought it would be good for business. Breakfast is my busiest time every day of the week, and even more so on Sundays,” he said.

Over the years, the chain made some concessions to changing tastes and health concerns, Hamlyn said, “But let’s face facts, Big Boy is known for comfort food. And when they partnered up with Weight Watchers for a while, they almost went bankrupt. So what they decided to do is make sure that there are healthy items on the menu, but to ensure that those products are also used in other parts of the menu, so they remain fresh.”

LOCATION, LOCATION

“I’ve been lucky in that I stayed excited about my work all those years, and I appreciated the fact that corporate was adamant that we as franchisees support our communities. Our local store has been involved in the annual Cherry Festival and Film Festival, and we do charitable donations and fundraisers throughout the year. We’ve also supported local football teams, the Salvation Army and the Cherryland Humane Society. Traverse City is where I live, where I spent my career, and where my wife and I now plan to enjoy our retirement. I care about this town.”

Hamlyn points out that the landscape around the Traverse City Big Boy has changed significantly since 1977.

“It was just us and Meijer, who came in that same year. U.S. 31 was a two-lane road at the time. This property was an old Grant’s department store that had shut down — there was no water, just sewer. We bought it on a whim, tore the building down, and built a new one, thinking it could be a good location. It turned out to be a fantastic location. Who could have predicted that this corridor would develop like it has? It has been great for business. I honestly feel that this Big Boy will be around for a long time to come.”

The Traverse City Big Boy is located at 3828 U.S. 31 South. Open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. For more information, call 231-941-7430.