We drove almost an hour outside of Vegas just to grab a Big Boy burger. Was it as good as those I grew up enjoying in So Cal? Also, what else is there to do in Indian Springs? And what can go wrong on the way? Plenty. There's a cannabis dispensary between here and there!
BONUS: Ever wondered how Bob’s Big Boy became a roadside legend? Full story below the chapters section.
CHAPTERS
00:00 We’re searching for the right freeway on-ramp
01:12 Allegiant Stadium Electronic billboard. Some concerts here look more attractive than others. Nothing new. BUT...I take back what I said on camera. Sting & Billy Joel are fine together. NOT Sting & Shaggy. Completely different acts.
01:52 Palace Station needs rehabilitation. We have an idea!
02:50 Intimidating World Market buildings.
03:40 We have our own Rainbow Bridge. Sort of.
03:58 Passing Santa Fe Station. We like this place! Will revisit soon.
04:41 We’re near Floyd Lamb Park. One of many interesting places to visit in Vegas when you need a break from the usual attractions.
04:53 My what a big tower we have here. Multi-purpose. 27 miles to Indian Springs.
05:40 We stop at the Paiute Reservation just to see what there is to see.
06:23 We’re at the home of the drive-thru cannabis dispensary NuWu North. Just looking, thank you. They have another location near downtown.
06:50 Wait a minute! Why are we upside down?
07:10 Drive sober…and live to talk about it.
07:24 No trespassing. Call the number and find out why.
07:43 Back on Highway 95 North. An alternate route to Beatty and beyond.
07:58 A map of two alternate routes to Northern Nevada. There are others.
08:08 What’s a Quonset hut?
08:18 The turn off to Lee Canyon. People ski there. And more. 13 miles to go.
08:44 We’re about to pass Cold Creek Correctional Center. Yeah, we see the typo. That was automatic subtitling and we didn't catch it. We did catch most others.
09:08 Mystery installation of some kind. A.I. speculates for us.
09:21 Nevada contains 56 million acres of government owned land.
09:48 Oh, look! An Air Force base!
10:10 The history of Creech AFB.
10:20 History of Indian Springs
10:48 Our destination!
11:11 Old Glory marks the spot.
11:25 They’ve got bombs!
11:53 Entering the building. They’ve got maps and the weather forecast on the wall.
12:08 Entering Bob’s Big Boy proper.
12:30 Our dining table and a menu sample.
12:41 Our burgers have arrived! Sorry for the messy analysis, but now you know exactly what’s on a Big Boy Burger.
13:26 The verdict
13:39 Into the casino! Not for long…
14:36 Nice place for locals and a break for drivers, but we’ve had our fill.
14:57 A quick drive through “town”.
15:07 We found a Baptist church.
15:19 The local supermarket.
15:29 Passing Santa Fe Station as we head home. We’ll return! Where else should we visit?
15:39 Grab something from our shop and become a bonafide NVPC member. You’re a player anyway, right? Might as well make it official.
My Big Boy Origin Story (and Why Ronald Was Late to the Party)
Bob’s Big Boy was founded in 1936 by Bob Wian in Glendale, CA. My first visit came decades later—in the 1970s, at the Mission Hills location in the San Fernando Valley. My dad had heard about a place serving a double-decker burger, which was practically unheard of.
We hadn’t even seen a McDonald’s yet—until one opened across the street. We figured they were copying Bob. Turns out, they were. Bob Wian invented the double-decker in 1936—three decades before Ronald. He even sliced the bun into three parts.
The Big Boy mascot was based on a chubby 6-year-old regular named Richard. In 1967, a McDonald’s franchisee (and former Big Boy manager) introduced the Big Mac, borrowing Bob’s format. It worked—but Bob’s was first.
Big Boy also pioneered mascot marketing. Every location gave out Adventures of the Big Boy comics starring Big Boy, Dolly, and Nugget.
I always special-ordered my burgers—couldn’t stand the default sauces. But Big Boy’s sweet relish blend? That worked.
When our local Bob’s closed, I had to drive twice as far. Then a new one opened in my hometown and became the teen hangout after every school event. Eventually, that one folded too.
Years later, I found a Shoney’s Big Boy in Tennessee, then an Elias Bros. in Detroit. Each had its own twist. That’s because Big Boy didn’t use traditional franchising—they licensed the name and mascot to regional operators.
Frisch’s, Shoney’s, JB’s, Azar’s, Manners, Eat’n Park—each ran its own menu. Marriott bought the brand in ’67; Elias Bros. took over in ’87. After bankruptcy in 2000, it became Big Boy Restaurant Group LLC.
Today, about 90 Big Boys remain in the U.S. Japan has over 270. Nevada had two—now just Indian Springs.
California still has four: Downey, Norco, Northridge, and Burbank. The Burbank location, built in 1949, is the oldest surviving Big Boy and a California landmark.
So how does Indian Springs stack up against my memories? Watch and see. Been there? Drop a comment. Thanks!
