There's a new cowboy walking tall in Horse Town U.S.A. and he's a big boy. Actually he's THE Big Boy. Bob's Big Boy, in the midst of a nation wide expansion, has dug his big spurs into Norco, CA. And he's been wranglin' up some some big boy crowds on the weekends.
Now, this is a nostalgia treat for my wife, who has fond memories of Big Boy patty melts from her youth. I don't have a lot of memories of Bob, but he speaks my language, "All You Can Eat Breakfast Buffet". Now, this is not a "Home Town Buffet" size buffet, but then you can hardly expect that of a restaurant with a full "to order" menu. It's sufficient, however, to be the breakfast go-to for an indecisive guy sizing up the Big Boy.
As much as I hate crowds, busy usually means fresh. And I had no complaints with the buffet fare. Sausage, bacon, assorted preparations of scrambled eggs, biscuits and country gravy, pancakes and waffles, oatmeal, and bagels and cream cheese. There was more, but these are the clearest in my memory. It was quite fresh as I saw some items stocked several times while we were there. It was very tasty, but not too distinct. Again, this is sort of a "buffet" issue, and not a "Big Boy" issue.
My wife had the patty melt with a generous serving of fries that she did not finish. She said it was everything she remembered it to be, and I gathered we'd be coming back again soon. The staff was friendly, helpful, and punctual as I ran them ragged with demands for Diet Coke and water. The prices were disappointing, as the seemed a bit high for this kind of restaurant. Be warned, two people getting out for under 30 bucks looks tricky.
They have balloons and a wandering Big Boy for the kids and a full blown nostalgia gift shop. Speaking of kids, it was not a hassle to have my daughter with us, and the accommodated parents very well, which is to be expected of a family restaurant.
Interesting to note, to comply with the Norco City Council, I was informed a custom Big Boy in Cowboy Hat and Boots is on it's was to the location for an upcoming Grand (re)Opening.
I can't give a definitive "yea" or "nay" yet, but we will be going back. I intend to make sure I sample something off the menu next time, and see what the Big Boy is really made of. Bob's Big Boy 1689 is located at 3521 Hamner Ave. in Norco, CA.
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That's it, thanks. I'm stuffed.
Brian Norwood
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