Doughboys - Bob's Big Boy with Dave Ferguson

Episode Date: July 14, 2016

Birthday Boy and Comedy Bang! Bang! vet Dave Ferguson hops in studio to discuss an American classic, Bob's Big Boy, and to participate in an impromptu Diner Draft. Ferg offers his preferences for his Last Meal.Want more Doughboys? Check out our Patreon!: https://patreon.com/doughboysSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Las Vegas Strip A 4.2 mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South, it's one of the most famous streets in the world. But up through the 1930s, it was nothing but a dusty, sunscorched strip of Nevada desert highway. In 1941, architect Wayne McAllister was commissioned to build what would become the strip's very first hotel and casino, El Rancho Vegas, a resort that had just two blackjack tables. McAllister, one of the leaders of a space-age, futuristic style of architecture named Googie, seen most famously in Disneyland's Tomorrowland, subsequently designed such classic Vegas staples

as the Desert Inn and the legendary Sands Hotel, home base of the Rat Pack, and the setting of the original Ocean's Eleven. But while many of his creations have since been redesigned or demolished, arguably his most famous building is still intact, the oldest operating location of a sit-down burger chain founded by Robert C. Wyon in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. In 1949, on Riverside Drive in Burbank, McAllister constructed a stylishly-curved, car-hop-friendly drive-in branch of Wyon's Restaurant, anchored by an oversized statue of its cherubic mascot. The location became so famous that the Beatles would dine there during their U.S. tour.

The chain grew throughout the U.S., at one point operating under two dozen different brands across different regions, including Elias Brothers, Frishes, Keebos, Manners, Mr. B's, Shaps, Vips, and Yodas. Its iconic mascot statue made a bigger impression on American culture than its chili spaghetti and milkshakes, and later served as the escape pod and hibernation chamber for the villainous Dr. Evil in the original Austin Powers. By 1967, founder Wyon cashed out his initial $350 investment in spectacular fashion, selling his company to Hotel Chain Marriott for $7 million, the equivalent of $50 million today.

Now after a bankruptcy scare at the turn of the century, there remain 93 restaurants in the U.S., 83 of which are in Michigan, and a staggering 279 locations in Japan. This week on Doe Boys, Robert C. Wyon's large son, Bob's Big Boy. Welcome to Doe Boys, the podcast about chain restaurants. If you're a part of Feralaudio.com, the best way to support ours and other shows in the network is to use the referral link on our website anytime you shop at Amazon. I'm Nick Weigar, alongside my co-host, homeless James Corden, Mike Mitchell the Spoon Man. How you doing, Mitch?

It's an honor to be called, to be compared to THE James Corden. The most beloved man on late night. Everyone loves Corden. We can't get enough Corden. And he and I both love to, sir. You guys are, you guys are a similarly charismatic, you're similarly nimble on your feet. And um... What?

Hey uh, real quick, real quick, that one was, that insult was courtesy of Christopher Fritz. And if you have an insult you'd like me to use on Mitch at the top of the show, email roastspoonman at gmail.com. Go ahead, Mitch. First of all, your opening was very long today. It was a little lengthy. Yeah. I didn't look lengthier on the page, but I think I might have just taken my time with

it a little bit. Speed through them. Do what I do, baby. Get the listeners to, to write it up for you. Don't prepare for the podcast and have someone else take care of it for you. Speaking of which, I want to say uh... To Spoon Nation. Here we go.

And... Nothing is playing. Mitch, you're holding a sandwich. Put down the sandwich and grab your phone. Yes, I'm playing a sandwich. I'm trying to push play on a sandwich, swagger. What in the fuck is going on here? This is, this is definitely, I'll tell you what this is.

A tech mouth. I think part of the issue might be uh, you fumbling with your iPhone with your giant's hands. All right, here we go. Here we go, you piece of shit. Cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck. Life is like the hurricane. Fuck you, cuck, cuck, nitch the little cuck wire.

What is that, bad show? Cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck. Stay away from my mom, cuck boy. Cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, wire. Cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck. It's true what you say about me being a cuck. That's all true. Cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck, cuck.

There we go. That's that, that was cuck-tails. I don't agree with the subject matter, but that was well executed. This was from Thomas Scott. Hi, I sent this two weeks ago, hasn't been played yet. Cuck-tails, good job. Calm down, Thomas Scott. Or is it Scott Thomas?

You can wait two weeks. Yeah, that's a good point. How long have people been the cue? A long time. Okay, I got something for next week. So, what's going on? What's up? This is weird of me to say. I've never done this before.

You're trying to make polite conversation with me. I got rid of my phone. I'm doing well. I'm a little fatigued. I think we're both a little fatigued. We had a very large meal before the podcast. That's right. It sounded like you said spaghetti milkshake

when you were doing the opening. It sounded like there was one gross concoction. I tried to say chili spaghetti and milkshake, but it may have run them together. Yeah, that does sound disgusting. You're going to get that level of humor we just had right here on the podcast. That classic banter where you misheard me

after saying how gross something I hypothetically would have said would be. Let me tell you, I'm tired. Tonight, I got my CPAP machine. I don't know if you guys... You know, I've said it on here, but I'm not getting to the level of sleep I'm supposed to be getting,

so I'm trying it tonight for the first time. You have a lot of apneas. I don't get no REMs. I don't get no REMs. Let me tell you. That's it. You don't like Roddy Dangerfield impression? No, I think it's great.

Roddy Dangerfield, sure. Yeah. Yeah, I don't get no... I mean, like he says, I don't get no respect, so converting that to REMs... If you remember correctly, our guest does. This was a big part of...

I said, as Roddy Dangerfield, I don't get no retweets as my Saturday Night Live stage audition. Did you know this? No, I didn't. I don't get no retweets. It was a modern-day Roddy Dangerfield. I didn't get hired

if anyone hasn't noticed. But I'm very excited to... I'm very excited to wear this mask tonight. Yeah. See how it goes, you know? Maybe it will change things around for me. Yeah, I mean, it's different from the normal gimp mask here. You wish.

I'm gonna tell you, it's gonna be tough to get through this podcast. New comfy chairs. The fans spoke. Dan Harmon answered. Thank you, Dan Harmon, for delivering us with these new chairs. Dustin said that our continued advocacy

for non-squeaky chairs and the outcries from our listeners who said that the chairs were too squeaky on the podcast, they've resulted in new chairs. We're sitting in comfortable chairs. Dustin and our intern Usong helped us secure these. Is that correct that Usong put them together?

Is that right? Did you assemble these, Usong? Yeah, two thumbs up. Yes. All right, good job, Usong. Good job, buddy. If this falls apart, it's your fault, not my weight.

With this one act, you've done more work for the podcast than Mitch ever has. Let's introduce our guest. You know him from Comedy Bang Bang. He's a writer for the Emmy Awards Our good friend Dave Ferguson is here. Hey, guys. First time long time.

We're happy to have you. I'm thrilled to be here. We're hoping you can provide the energy we sorely need tonight because we are both fatigued and very satiated. Well, I feel you on the gut bomb, but the energy is up.

I'm really excited. You are jacked. Which is good, too, because we've been, you're in the home stretch. There's only one left. I thought you meant you were wrapping up the sketch group. Oh, I don't know. That's long enough.

But you've been sitting in that queue for a little while. It's about time we got you in here. It was just more time to enjoy, because now I can stop listening to the podcast. I had to stay up to date so that I would know references, but now I'm in the clear. We're gonna gradually atrophy down to zero listeners.

Basically, we only have people who listen to the podcast in anticipation of some day being a guest. Absolutely. Once we work through everybody, it'll just be me and Mitch talking to no one. Like our bodies, the listeners will atrophy. So, Dave,

you're from Dayton, Ohio, am I correct? Yep, the heart of it all. Ohio. Is that the heart of it all, is it the state motto? That's on the license plate. Birthplace of aviation also has been on the license plate. What a nightmare.

No wonder why you haven't been on. Let's get into the heart. Dayton history fast, folks. So, food-wise in Dayton, and I know this will tie in to our discussion of this week's chain, because there are some regional distinctions as I touched on in my intro,

involving the Bob's Big Boy franchise. But regionally, what kind of cuisine can one expect up in Ohio? Well, the beauty is, as far as from a Doughboy's perspective, almost every chain you guys have covered that would qualify as pretty national I think is within a ten-minute drive

of my house. Ohio is very much chain-friendly. In fact, it's really interesting. It's a really Columbus Ohio, which is not too far from where I'm from. Common test market. So, it's like, if you Google food test market,

you're gonna get Columbus Ohio. So, they'll like test stuff out, and so, yeah, I think a lot of Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's were my most common reference points. But then, a lot of places, like the one we're gonna talk about today,

which are kind of beloved old regional chains. Right. Part of me feels like you're one of the first Ohioans that's been on this podcast, which is kind of frightening. You haven't had Roblo? We haven't had Roblo. Have we had a sheen yet?

Oh, yeah. Right. Of course. That episode hasn't dropped yet. No, I don't know. I can't remember the exact... I feel like we're gonna... I don't want to offend a previous guest we had who was from Ohio.

I'm not immediately recalling a guest from our 60-plus episodes who was from Ohio. So, like, growing up there, and then you end up going to Ithaca and going to college with my buddy Mitch here. That's where the magic happened.

That term, buddy, is questionable. Also, as far as me going to college, I was on the campus, I guess. Everything about your statement is flawed, but yes, I concede you're pregnant. You guys were in the same city for a period of years. I will say this. We had lunch together for sure.

We did. I knew Mitch as early as I knew any of the birthday boys other than maybe Tim. Anyway, we... I remember this. My Canford introduced... Deep cut coming, folks. I just remember you and I... And I was like,

you were on the show 30 Minutes with Dave Ferguson, which was a show on the... Which is a show on the Ithaca channel. What was the Ithaca broadcast channel? I-C-TV. I-C-TV, that makes sense. It was a show, it was a comedy show. I did not like the show.

I told Ferguson, I think, and I met him. I thought the show was bad. Head writer Tim Calpakis, your other sworn buddy. Head writer Tim Calpakis. My Canford worked on the show at some point. Sure. It was good. I don't think I ever gave it a day.

It was bad. I don't think I ever gave it the time of day. Sure. Yeah, it deserved. But we had lunch together in the... I think not the Terrestine Halls, but the Campus Center. Ah, yes, important distinction to make. It is important. I saw you like a few times.

We'd always say hello. Dave is very friendly. A man who everyone says hello to and likes. And then I remember when I was out here the first time I ran into you again. Do you remember this? Yeah, you let me into traffic? I let you into traffic. I was so mad. You guys saw each other on the road?

Yeah, on the road. The first encounter in LA. Wow. I was on the wrong lane and I needed to get over. And I was like, who's this fucking noob? This LA noob trying to get into this lane right now. And I looked over, it was Dave Ferguson. I went to give the friendly Ohio Thank You Wave and there was my buddy, Mike Mitchell.

Wow, how about that? A little man. And we did not talk to each other. I think it made for some months. It made for a few more months until we started. Yeah. Until we saw each other at UCB. But what were you on... You were on your way to an important meeting or something? Yeah, my first job in LA.

Yeah. Imagine television. So in a way, I'm kind of responsible. Yeah, that's true. You were on your way to an interview for that job? Yeah, my first interview, basically. And then you got it. And then I got it. I was still jobless after being out here for a full year.

On my first day, I had done more work in an hour than Mike Mitchell had. Typical fucking Ferguson. God damn it. So, yeah, Nick, so you were asking about my food preferences in the two cities? I think the listeners will like that story. No, it's funny.

People like to know a little history of our guests. Absolutely. How they personally relate to the hosts. And Mitch, I do remember going to the dining hall. So we do have a food connection. We do. And I think that is... And you're going to take this the wrong way.

But that's Mitch at his finest. You're hanging around with a couple plates of buffet items. Sure. It's just where you hang out best. Really? Yeah, I think so. You and I, I do love food. I love talking about food.

But you and I... I think for... I would describe our relationship as very plain strains and automobiles. Wiger and Michillian, if you will. Yes. Very much like you're a Steve Martin role and I'm smoking cigarettes and listening to the mess around.

We're the modern day odd couple. For real, yes. I think that's an accurate way to put it. Well, I always like to tell people, I invented the Wiger and Michill dynamic. I invented the Wiger and Michill. We were nemesises for a while. And then I...

I mean, in the way that we were still friends. Yeah, yeah. But then I think as time's gone on, I think you've just given up and committed to what I am. I think that's your power over people. Yeah. I mean, all your listeners too.

Like, I'm sure people listen to the cast a few times and they're like, they just give up and they give into it and now we're having fun. Yeah, you kind of like working with Mitch. It's like, you know, when one flew over the cuckoo's nest when the chief is smothering Jack Nicholson

and like trying to kill him because it's just like... It's like that with Mitch, except that you'd like smother him with a pillow just like trying to get something out of him, trying to get him to change and then like you take the pillow away and like he's still breathing.

And then with that submission, he's just going to be who he is. He's just going to be this catatonic guy lying in the bed. There's no way to kill him, so he's just like, all right, I guess we might as well just... I think maybe a better way to describe

is the movie Unbreakable. I think you think I can't die. Oh, like, okay, like, okay, so like Bruce Willis, you're thinking Bruce Willis and Unbreakable. Yeah, I just didn't get the fact I got a mass now, baby. It's not like I think you're literally invincible.

It's not like I think you're literally Unbreakable, like Bruce Willis in the movie. We're not sure about that either, though. You have a... You're a difficult man, a stubborn man, and you're not one who's easy to change. That's true, but I have a lot of fun.

Sure, exactly. You are a lot of fun. We concede that. Was that too much of a party animal? Was that too much of a party animal? No, not at all. That's, again, I think this is your upside.

I think sometimes you confuse your upside for your challenge. You know what I mean? Party animal, Mitch, that's the best, Mitch, but that means you're going to a party. You have to go work with Mitch. Just to clarify, are we talking Mario Party or what?

Yeah, sorry, Mario Party. You fucking nerds. Oh, yeah, I forgot both of you guys are fucking loser squares. We're two guys who have it together and are happily married. We wear nicely pressed shirts and well-fit slacks.

We get to work on time. We get our work done. We're model employees. And you both put loaded guns in your mouth every night. And also... I have another empathetic streak with Nick, which is that

you always make passes at my wife. Oh, yes, that is true. Both favorable and unfavorable. They change at will, depending on who the audience is. Dave Ferguson's wife, Katie. Peterson now, Ferguson. Yeah, she should have married me. Exactly.

Wildly inappropriate. No, she loves it. I would tell her that. I think possibly for now almost 10 years. Yeah, yeah. It's a great dynamic. I should have said something at the wedding. I should have gotten them to stop.

Anyway, the history is rich. Yeah, I love you both. I'm so excited. Oh, yeah. On season two of birthday boys, I think we worked really well together. Hey, when I say Wiger-Michelian dynamic, this is a one-two punch.

This is the odd couple. It takes a little while to... I will admit it takes a while to get with me, but it's not like... Everyone has their little quirk, so to say. Yeah. And we made a show and... We made a show and, you know,

we worked hard on it and then no one watched it. Yeah, exactly. And then you made a podcast with less effort and it's doing way better. What I can tell. There is definitely some personal and professional frustration with the relative success of this podcast

compared to basically everything else I've done in my career. We're just like... I love doing this podcast and I certainly love all the fans out there and we're blessed with everyone who's listen... by everyone who's listened to us. But also, like...

It's so much more work to make like a TV show. It's so much more work. And then most of that is just... Even in internet videos, a lot more work to instruct something like that. And most of that... absent a few professional successes

most of your work is ignored. Yes. But if you talk as yourselves... Yeah. I mean, that should tell you something. For sure. You're finally being you. Do we have time for a diversion because it's apropos? Yes, please. Wait a minute. No, this podcast is always

laser focused on the topic at hand. Also, I just want to say that I just figure... I'm kind of like Homer and you guys are both kind of like... Two Lisa's? I'd say like... Ferguson is a little Ned Flanders. Okay. Yeah, that's fair.

And Weigar's a little Lisa. But both less funny. Okay. I would also say, Mitch, the commonality is that you and I are both as suicidal as most Islam. Yeah, we're just both moes.

I got to say, by the way, so... you mentioned in your preamble that the Beatles once graced the big boy restaurant, right? In 1965. Yeah. I felt like I had a Beatles experience

just now watching you record the intro and then watching Mitch do a drop. I just want to say I appreciate it. In fact, while we're still being self-reflective, I noticed you guys don't have a Wikipedia page. You have a wiki, but nobody's

made a Doe Boys Wikipedia page. It did make a Doe Boys Wikipedia page, and Wikipedia took it down immediately. Illegitimate. Yeah, yeah. Literally a site that takes all-comers. It was wiped out quickly. Yeah, there's 10,000 words on Count Chocula,

but Doe Boys don't get a page. I apologize. If this gets too boring, I'll cut it short, but I am such a fan of the intro, Nick. I have been since day one. I remember when you were laying out the very idea for this podcast in the ComedyBang & Greta's room

and you mentioned, and I was like, this is going to be great because you're going to get some good Weigar wordsmithing and some good Mitch Riffin. So I wrote a Weigar-style intro of the podcast. Oh, boy, no. Oh, my God.

Howdy-ho! So goes the famous greeting of South Park's Mr. Hankey the Christmas Pooh. And so goes the pilfered trademark drop of Mike Mitchell, with underground comedy legends, the birthday boys. That is until you paired up with a sharp-tongued

wordsmith and fellow Upright Citizens Brigade alum, Nick Weigar, to record a podcast that would offer a refreshing and sincere alternative to the posh foodie culture that had consumed the 2000s. Capitalizing on Weigar's masochistic work ethic and Mitchell's begrudging but necessary presence,

the pair set out to treat chain restaurants with the same passionate critical eye Mitchell had once reserved for Star Wars sequels and anything new or progressive. With a meandering and self-admitted unprofessional flair, Spoon Man and Burger Boy,

as they would dub themselves, won over audiences in hundreds with a broadcast that was equal with a broadcast that was equal parts Glutt and Gabb. Since their first cast on May 20th, 2015, Weigar and Mitchell have gorged their self-proclaimed soft

bodies at over 60 franchised eateries, all the while exponentially growing in their mutual hatred for both themselves and each other. Meanwhile, the Spoon Nation and Burger Brigade fan factions have only lapped it up as the Doughboys podcast has chowed its way to the upper crust of the Feral Audio

Charts and five fork ratings from critics and hashtag loving fans alike. How long can it last? It's a question the hosts ask of their very lives. I hope you like Cucks because today we're talking Doughboys.

Wow, Ferguson. That was really something. The guy does work, man. Yeah. I'm a big fan of Doughboys or work. Of work. That's a sad broken part of me. I've known you for a while, David.

There was like nothing that lines up with your personality more than that the part of the podcast you like the most is my humorless intro. It's true. It's an avalanche of facts explaining

what you're about to listen to. It's a structural style. I really appreciate good grammar. Well, you did a great job. That was a very, very well-constructed verbal essay you just delivered. That was very good. So before we get into this week's chain, I just wanted to real quick touch on

KFC was one of the chains you brought up that you are a fan of. Yeah. I mean, my mom would make home-cooked meals and I'm very like painfully obvious suburban white bread upbringing. Very normal. Yeah.

By my lame standards. But we did do a lot of fast food and I didn't realize that that was such an excursion or a treat for other people until I met other kids from other places. Right. But yeah, we would do like maybe two or three chain

restaurants a week. And so, yeah, a bucket of fried chicken from Lee's famous recipe, which is like a local KFC or KFC, was like a Thursday staple and pizza might be a Friday thing. Oh, yeah. Pizza night was Friday night in the Mitchell House. Yeah, absolutely. You put on that TGIF and go to town.

Uh-huh. Great night. Urkel. Erkel, man. Cheese and cheese, baby. Erkel, it's funny because Erkel did love cheese. Yeah. It's true. Erkel was a big cheese fan if you remember Family Matters. And that was also the night we got pizza. It kind of worked out together. They went hand-in-hand

for the Mitchell family. Weigar, you don't seem as on-board. Are you interested in this? No. Do you think the Family Guy Writers' Room got wind of the Mitchell's Weekly pizza order? We were like, hey, we should write this into the show. The Family Guy Writers' Room?

Family Matters. Yes, Family Matters. Although I'm sure that Family Guy has written Erkel into a bunch of stuff, I'm sure. No, they probably didn't know. The whole TGIF lineup and pizza was... I've always wondered if...

and we've talked about a little bit on the podcast, but I always wondered if that was like... Synonymous. The rest of America was doing the same thing. It was like such a pizza night. Yeah, and I think that's my association in general with James, is a little bit of a cultural hub of commonality.

A thing that allowed you to have conversations with friends because whether you moved to Ithaca or whatever, it's like, yeah, a fucking Big Mac's a Big Mac. So for me, chain restaurants are actually more of a home thing or a family thing than a home-cooked meal.

Not because my mom didn't make great meals, it was just like a familiarity. Yes, because like I said, we were one night a week definitely having pizza, and then at least one, maybe two other nights, I think it was similar to your family.

We were having some sort of meal from somewhere. Yeah, I mean... Boston Market or some rotisserie chicken my mom brought home from somewhere. Right, picking up something on the way home from a practice or something. And then the other association is when it comes up, I think a lot on the podcast, which is like road trips. Yeah.

Yeah, that's a big part of today's chain for me, which is like, it was the ultimate stop. If we were doing regional travel, it's like you take a break off the road, you have a classic kind of diner experience. Yes. At a big boy and it's a nice family meal. Everybody's got an option.

So, yeah, I think it's those two. I always like that about a road trip and because there are a lot of people who are kind of like, they have a grab-and-go philosophy on the road trip of like, oh, let's go to the fastest place and let's even go, let's go to like an AMPM and just get some

basically some snacks and have that be our sustenance. And I really like the making the journey part of the experience, stopping at a sit-down restaurant and just having taking an hour and having a nice meal break. It's like breaking an hour. It depends on how long that trip is, though. Oh, I'm fine with that.

Make the trip a little longer. No, what if it's like a six-hour ride? You want to add an hour and a half? Yeah, I would. It's a six-hour, absolutely. No, I can't I can't get behind that. Really? Even now? I mean, now maybe but like if you're riding up to San Francisco

or something or even on like the trip to from Quincy slash Boston to Ithaca. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would just, I would just floor it. I would, I mean like I would just try to get there as fast as possible. I've made that drive up to San Francisco a number of times and honestly, You're stopping at Anderson's on the way?

I don't necessarily stop at Anderson's I have stopped at Anderson's but I honestly there's one trip where I don't remember anything that happened except that we stopped at a red robin and I had a great time. That's pretty good. Yeah. Jesus Christ. That's pretty good. I love to see the rest of that trip.

That's all that good good good good. What happened? You just sitting catatonic in the car. We go back to red robin. Natalie cries. Ferguson, you, you for the longest time and you and I bonded over this big time when we were

first starting out as, as a young sketch comedians and we, the birthday boys would meet almost every night at one point. Yeah. We were meeting a ton. Yes. And you and I were both big subway guys. Subway. Which because and you know what and I don't do subway as much anymore and I

and I'm just trying not to eat bread but there, there is a part of me that's like man it was so much healthier than what I would have done. Than what I would have done and even still I'm like oh I should maybe still do it just like a turkey and, and Swiss on wheat. Yes. And like you and I were in there

all, all the time. Totally. This is a great redemptive quality of chain restaurants that gets overlooked is like yes they are fattening. But a home cooked meal for me if I'm on my own and I'm in a hurry and coming on from work is worse. Because it's

one dimensional. I'm probably going to make a whole thing of shell, mac and cheese velvita shells. Yeah. Consider that effort and then eat the whole box. Right. Where you go to subway, you get the bread, the lettuce and the, it's not a great meal but compared to the idiot that would

be on my left of my own devices you know. Yeah. No I, I agree with you. We, we, we were in there quite a lot when we were meeting almost like, like, like because we were, we would meet like five nights sometimes a week or six even six. Do you cook now? No. This is something I'm always wondering

if you've ever shared a religion. Do you ever just like make a thing? Nope. Have I mean it? Like occasionally but no. I will cook, I was actually at a pretty good street. And I said cook, not cook. Yeah. Well he definitely cooks. I was at a, etc. I was at a pretty good street earlier this

year where I was cooking a couple of meals a week. I will generally make myself breakfast. Sometimes my lovely wife will make me breakfast for work. And then but yes, I cook a decent amount of time. I used to cook more. I cook less now that I'm working more. All right, let's get to this week's chain.

Let's do it. Bob's big boy. So what is it about the big boy that made this be the topic you wanted to discuss, Ferguson? For me, and I had to check myself, it's the original Big Mac. It really is. And Big Mac is my fast food.

Like a McDonald's Big Mac value meal with a Coke. That is the very definition of my fast food order. I am with you. I will get the number one for McDonald's. That is my favorite McDonald's order. So to then step it back and I, this is true.

It is the inspiration to the Big Mac. The idea of putting two burgers on a operated burger, the two patty style was a joke that this guy did.

I guess some teen strolled into this diner and said, hey, how about something original or different? And as a joke, he was like, let's put two patties together. That's an insane idea. And it stuck and that became the Big Mac. So it is the Big Mac

defined taste. The Big Mac does pretty good. Well, it became the big boy, I'm sorry. The theory is that the Big Mac was inspired by Oh, wow. So the Big Boy predates the Big Mac. That's my understanding in my very limited research. But it makes sense. I mean,

we'll get into this more, but like my big boy from my hometown is called Frisch's Big Boy out here. It's called Bob's Big Boy. Some of your listeners might know Shoneys. There's a whole crazy... I've heard you talk about Shoneys before. It's like the Southern Big Boy.

It's crazy if you look at the Wikipedia for you look at Bob's Big Boy and then you go to the parent corporation, which is like the Bob's Big Boy limited or whatever it's called and the that operates all these restaurants across North America and in Japan, which are the only places they're located. They're like basically

like three columns that are 12 items long of different logos, different versions of the Bob's Big Boy logos just for different regions. And yeah, like I listed a few of them. One of them is called Yota's. It's like it's crazy and I don't know if they're all still operating, but it's

really an interesting thing that they kind of of like the closest analog I can think of is Hillstone, which we covered earlier, which is a much different caliber of restaurant, but they have a bunch of different brands that they use for fundamentally the same menus and atmospheres. There's one called Carl's

and Hardy's kind of thing. Yeah, yeah. There was one called Yota's? Yeah, there were there are a bunch of them. But anyway, yeah, so that like it's the reason I think I like Mayo on a burger. I think it was the first place I had like because in our big boy they actually do like a tartar sauce base where out here they do like

this red sauce. Yeah, it's like a red relish which is closer maybe to the Big Mac sauce. Exactly. Or a Thousand Island is another one I've heard they sometimes do on this burger, but for me that's like that original taste of whatever that combo of flavor profile was. So for me, I thought the reason you liked Bob's Big Boy and picked it

was because their mascot just looks a lot like Tim Calpakis. Google it, fuck. He really like Tim Calpakis who was our guest on Morton's The Steakhouse episode and a member of the Birthday Boys. He really does bear an uncanny resemblance to the Big Boy. It's like if you were doing a

if you're doing like an anime version of Tim Calpakis that's what you'd come up with. What with always wearing his red and white checkered overall shirt that says Big Boy. And holding a hamburger with one arm extended to the sky. That actually is probably the most accurate.

Yeah, that is pretty accurate. Yeah, I think there was a period of time. I think we went on tour once and we accidentally brought Bob's Big Boy with us instead of Tim. Yeah, he did a great job though in some of those sketches. He looks great. He does look a lot like Tim Calpakis.

And that's flattering. I think that Big Boy is super cute. Yeah, he's a little cute. He's a little cutie. But it's I mean, it's a great mascot. They've actually they have a whole like cartoon comic book series built around that character the coloring books they give out to kids there. It's one of the

original family franchise concepts. I mean, it is that like you said, it was in Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Spaceship I believe. Yeah, it's like his escape hub. I think also too, the larb lad in the Simpsons. That's right.

Looks a lot like the Big Boy. It's kind of like a combination of that and Randy's donuts. And then I was talking with some workers about that we're going to do this chain this morning and they brought up Astro Boy from Japan who's an anime character

and he bears an uncanny resemblance to. I think he probably is a copy of the Big Boy and given Super Powers. Now Ferguson, I got a question for you. I feel like we actually haven't talked too much in this area on the show before.

But diner food. You're a big diner guy. Yeah, I am. And I think it's 90% atmosphere, 10% food. But it's so easy to have a stock order. I like grilled cheese. I like a decent burger and I'll do

like a melt. And it's like well, if you like that stuff you can stick to what you know and then the rest is like a coffee and hanging out in a booth. It's pretty nice. They're usually good hours. You can go after a thing. For me it's like a sock hop

because I was probably born in the 1950s and then... I think you were born in the 1950s and frozen and then an ice. Ice was melted off of you. The same arc as Mel Gibson and Forever Young.

Yes, one of my favorite movies as a kid. But I feel like... I like it in Forever Young when he goes to boxing like an old timey 20s way and like the who was the bad guy in that movie? I don't remember. I have no clue.

Stuck in a little period of time it is for me. Who's going up against Mel Gibson? No, Mel Gibson is... The bad guy is up against Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson puts up his dukes in like a 20s strongman like bare-knuckle boxer sort of way and the other guy laughs at him and then Mel Gibson beats him up

and it's just like, oh yeah... Is this just some Jewish guy? That explains it. I feel like if you went back in time to the 50s they'd still call you a square. A square ahead of his time. I feel... There is something and we have talked about this a little bit before

but like my mom was always like, the diner, we went to the diner and it was so much fun and I'm like why did that go away? Because it does seem like a fun little... like all night diners kind of like devolved into

denies and IHOPs and stuff like that and the other ones went away. The local chain, the LA chain Norms and that's a big diner chain and that one has gradually it's been hemorrhaging locations and now there's just a few. There's a historical landmark one on...

is it Fairfax? It's on La Siena, I think. And then there's a few more that are out but there used to be a lot more and a lot of the independent diners there was a diner right by my old apartment that was a... this place that had been around... I can't remember the name but this place that had been around

since the 50's it was like a... they shot scenes, like period scenes from movies in there and that one shut down and like shut down like last year and got replaced with like this super hip like cocktail bar. I think that's part...

I think it's like gentrification is pushing these old independent businesses out of the way of these corporate chain restaurants are kind of pushing out the little guy the same sort of way that Walmart pushes away these mom and pop stores. I think it's also the polarization of the food scene

because they are caught in between. They're not efficient and yet they're not providing whatever would be perceived as high level food fare. So it's like you're kind of left with a budget family that wants a family experience and that's probably just a harder

and harder demographic to like. You have a market of people who are like oh let's ironically appreciate the kitsch of this place that has been still save money. Definitely a thing I said before but it's that thing of maybe it just fit better with a simpler time

after a dance you would go and I'm realizing so much about myself for picking this bullshit. It sucks. I don't personally long for it too much but it does seem like after a dance I'd go and get milkshakes.

You know one time Ferguson said this and I think he was like I want to make comedy that my grandmother would enjoy. I didn't say grandmother. Maybe I don't even want to backtrack from this. Say whatever you're going to

blast me for. No that was it. I think I blasted you from there on and I didn't make any comedy. I sat there. There's a quality to these things that is kind of capable of being

appreciated by all demographics. If you're a hungover teen that just wants to hang out and goof off in a corner booth, great spot for you. If you're a 75 year old man that wants to read the newspaper at 5am because your body's on that

rhythm, great spot for you. They got everything in the diner. Sometimes to the detriment of the place. Bob's menu isn't too big but I got to ask you something and this is a question for the listeners too. It's the 2016 diner draft.

What are you drafting? What are your top menu items? Top 5 picks. This is a diner draft. Your team needs. You got to think about your team needs a little bit too. What are you drafting?

I feel like everyone's going to have a good time. We're not constructing a mount diner more. We're talking about your top 5 diner draft picks. Your diner draft picks. Hashtag diner draft. I think number 1

I'm taking good scrambled eggs. If I get good scrambled eggs because breakfast at a diner is satisfying anytime. If I get good scrambled eggs I'm sitting pretty. Like we each go?

I agree. With the first pick and the 2016 diner draft Dave Ferguson selects a hamburger. Wow. That's off the...

With my first pick in the 2016 diner draft since hamburger is off the board I'm going tuna melt. Should we say that takes all melts? Or is like a... I think tuna melt is...

I don't think tuna melt claims all melts. But burgers are gone so you can't get yourself a patty melt. Wait, you're saying patty melt can't... I think with me taking tuna melt him taking burger. I think a patty melt is a separate item for tuna melt.

I'm not going to get it. Even though my mom loves patty melts I would not personally draft it. I'm going to get a burger for your next two picks. Hmm. Okay, so I only get four picks. I only get four picks you get... Wait, wait, okay.

Yes, I'm going to make this deal. I'll have six picks. Should I make a phone in to Commissioner Evan Susser to see if we can approve this deal? Definitely not. My next pick with my second pick

in the 2016 diner draft is chocolate milkshake or malt. I think that's fair. It's a little umbrella for chocolate milkshake or malt. I would even have allowed you just to say milkshake. I mean, I kind of wanted to but I thought you guys would be upset.

You know what, take milkshake because I totally would double down. I just got the steal of the draft. That actually did just screw my whole plan. It's pretty good at the fourth pick. Now it's back to you and then you get two picks in a row again, so you get four picks in a row.

That's pretty good. I got hamburger and scrambled egg. I'm picking my whole team basically. Okay, grilled cheese. That's a big one for me. I'm going to say fries because I think we have to go sides on this. Yeah.

Grilled cheese, fries. I'm going to take the deli pickle which is going to be overlooked by everyone but a deli pickle, if I don't have it on the plate I'm not interested. You can stick that deli pickle straight up your ass. I don't give a shit. Jesus.

Sorry, I'm getting aggressive. I want my picks. This is really hard. Has omelet been taken? No, I said scrambled eggs but yeah, you can take an omelet. Great, I'll take omelet. I feel pretty good about that team.

God damn it, Weiger, what the fuck? I got hamburger. I got hamburger. I don't even know what that trade was. His middle two picks, what was your other one? That was a waste. I can't even remember how bad it was.

We're going to have to play back the tape. There's no way. Grilled cheese, grilled cheese. Oh, fries. I traded fries and deli pickle for hamburger. I think I came out ahead. I'm an idiot. Fries are good though.

Paddy melt is my third pick. It's a good choice. I needed some sort of burger item. Then you go again. This is it for a while. I only have one last pick after this. How many picks have you made? Oh, that's my third.

This is about to be my fourth. With my fourth pick in the 2016 draft, I'm going to draft. Oh shit, this is fucking hard. It gets hard. Do you need idea generators? Don't help them out. I kind of want you to steal it from Nick.

Now I'm like, I got two of my favorite diner meals with a tuna melt and a paddy melt out of the way. You got your Durant and Westbrook. And I got milkshakes for crying out loud. My team is pretty solid. I would love to have some sort of french fries

or something like that. But do I go with flavored sodas? All flavored coaks? Can I take vanilla coke and cherry coke in all of them? Flavored coaks. Like fountain coaks.

Yeah, I think that's fair. That's a good pick. Man, I was going to go coke. Man, I have one that I'm just going to say. I actually don't want it, but I think I'd want it on my team because this one would deliver and nobody said it. Coffee.

Fuck! Yes, that feels so good. Bullshit. Oh my God. This is the best part, Weiger. I hate coffee and I'll trade it back to you for a burger. And I'll give you your other pick back

because I got one pick left. You already used my two picks. No, because that was five total. No, because I had two in a row. It's snake style. You could trade them your pick though. No. Fuck, keep coffee. I don't care.

Fine, it's going to fuck up your team chemistry. This is the best part. I order green tea. Alright, so I need a beverage on my team. Flavored coaks are taken. Coffee is taken. I'm going to go with iced tea because I think iced tea is a very satisfying beverage. And with my next pick,

which will be... This is actually my last pick since I traded two picks to you. My roster is scrambled eggs, hamburger, iced tea. I'm pretty thin. I think I'm going to have to do something

that would make either of these main dishes a meal. And that item for me is hash browns. Woo! Alright, go ahead Ferguson. You're on the clock for your last pick. Wow. And we can all pick up one on Drafted. Oh, that's good.

Oh, we get like a free agent. Extended. Milkshake is off table is Sunday. A chocolate sundae. I think it's separate from milkshake. Oh man, that's like a slam dunk for me. Okay. To stay right on the analogy.

Yeah, that's huge for me. I'll go to a diner just to get a sundae. Hmm, I've never done that but I will go to a diner just for a milkshake. But I get where you're in. You know, I'll go to it. Alright, I got a free agent. Oh my god.

You got very excited there. The final pick in the 2016 Diner Draft. Yes. I can ask you guys, this is my last pick even though you're probably going to go with a free agent choice. What do you think, potato salad or potato chips?

I need a side. I wouldn't do chips. I don't even think most diners have chips. You guys took the potato options, I'm kind of fucked. Here's what I, if I'm going to throw you a bone. Coleslaw? I was going to say coleslaw. You can't have them as often, but onion rings

are not bad. That's great. Sorry, Weiger. I got to take those onion rings. Alright, I am drafting onion rings. Alright, so now we enter a free agency and so like waiver wire order, you would be first in the waiver order. Oh wow, what a nice coincidence.

Alright, so go ahead. With my undrafted pick, I'm taking the Reuben sandwich. That's pretty good. You know what, that's what it's all about with me. It's kind of unbalanced. Go ahead, Ferguson.

I'm going to take a soup. This is the hard part. We got chili, we got chicken noodle, we got tomato, we got maybe a chowder. Bust. These are all busts. Chili. Chili's very good. That's a good pick.

That's a bust. No, chili's a good pick. Chili works as a side. You get a cup of chili with a sandwich. I get to pick up too undrafted because I have an extra roster slot. That is true. Even though you made a bad trade, so I don't know if we should allow, but go ahead.

Here's my first pick, pie. Whoa, damn it. Apple pie. Oh my god. Pie. I've said that before Sunday. My second pick, my second free agent pick up. BLT, the ultimate sandwich. No, the ultimate, oh my god.

The best sandwich. You fucking cuck. Wait a minute. I agree with Ferguson. See, we're coming around on him, he sucks. I think... Your defense, okay. No, I'm saying you hate why he sucks.

No, I love why. I was trying to look up a terrible draft pick to compare to your iced tea choice. Marcus Williams from 2006. He didn't even play in his first game. He was a first round pick. Now I'm going to give that to BLT. Are you going to give me an iced tea as great?

Yeah, enjoy your iced tea. Head on over to the diner and get your BLT and iced tea. Jesus Christ. Now all the listeners, vote on your favorite team. If you liked my team the best, hashtag team spoon. Yeah. If you like Weigher's, hashtag team cuck.

Dude, I'm going to say that. Hashtag Weigher's winners. Oh, wait a minute. Okay, fine. Ferg. Hashtag date and flyers. Oh, I like that. Hashtag date and flyers. I'll give some love to my beloved team. Yeah, that's great.

This was a really good use of one-third of our podcast. This is one of the best things we've ever done on this podcast. I actually enjoyed the diner draft. I think we just have a new format. I think we stopped talking about chain restaurants. We just do drafts of various... Diner drafts all the time. Other things.

We just covered a lot with diners right there. We did. And just to touch on it real quick, we talked about the demise of diner culture. And... As three white men commenting on it and thinking of diners and what they symbolize

in America, I feel like we certainly think of the civil rights era lunch counter and the segregation in the diner. I feel like a lot of people's images of the American diner are wrapped up in like

a time when this was a place where people were separated. And I wonder if that has something to do with like, I think as white guys, as white people we maybe have some nostalgia for this, but maybe that's not how all of America views diners.

I can't wait to hear what hashtag you used to settle this down. Jesus, the heaviest fucking thing. I mean... I mean, there's a part of this that is absolutely correct. I mean, when you think of the civil rights movement and sit-ins, you think

specifically of diners in the south. Yeah. And so... Are there racists out there that long for a time when there was where it was all white, like a lot more white people? Yes, there are racists that exist like that.

Do some of these men co-host chain restaurants on gas? No, you fuck! And root for Boston area sports team? Yes, some of these men do. Boston is progressive. I'm a progressive man. But yes, I do think I think that is the part of the diner that I think is bullshit.

And you know what? It shines through in the menu a lot of time, where a bad diner is lazy and is not progressive, but a good diner focuses on what it does well, which offers great options to a lot of different people.

I think you could draw that metaphor not too heavy-handed, Lee, to a big boy. I really do. One item at Big Boy that we all got today was the dinner salad. And if I had an extra roster spot, I was weighing at the end, I was weighing pie,

BLT, dinner salad. I maybe should have picked up a dinner salad instead of BLT. The ultimate sandwich? I do love BLTs, but a diner dinner salad if well done, I think is a really specific it's a specific comfort. And I think Bob's has a very

good execution of it. Every time I've had that dinner salad from Bob's, it's very, very solid. It's funny components because we talked about it. And we had a similar experience, actually I think all three of us, where in our youth the dinner salad was

some sort of iceberg lettuce salad. And we weren't allowed ranch in my house because of heart disease. Everyone who were Irish and no Mitchell men live long. That's very progressive for the 1980s. Ranch was a hot dressing.

Oh yeah, we were Italian dressing for the most part or like balsamic vinaigrette sort of family. I love their iceberg salad, their dinner salad. You did point out that it's not all iceberg lettuce. It's got some green leaf in there.

But just the combination of that Ferguson and I both got ranch and then... I'm getting your family code. I love it. It's so good. And then just the croutons that are not terrible but not very great.

This is maybe one of those weird foods that I kind of like that they're not even that good. Yeah, they're kind of those shitty croutons. They're not house-making croutons. They're mass buying them in boxes. For sure.

And the same thing with the cheese. They're on top of there. Which I like. I love it. It's good. It's really, really good. It's a nice little salad. Yeah, for a long time I wouldn't eat a salad that didn't have cheese on it. I thought that was like a staple along the lines of the greens themselves.

I think more and more so now at like so many fancy or salad places. You have to have some sort of cheese in there. I would say most salads I eat have cheese. Whether I order it from some place or whether I make it on my own, I'm getting it. Which is a funny combo.

If you think about it, it's weird. But I think back in the day when I was younger, we never put it in our salads unless it was like occasionally blue cheese or something. And it was because like you said before, cheese is fattening and you don't put it in salads.

Yes. It's a different philosophy. Also too, and I mentioned before in the podcast that I used to eat croutons as a snack. I would just have croutons and just dip them in blue cheese dressing and eat them as a kid. But as I've grown older,

I've had less of a propensity to want croutons. Sometimes I'll ask for no croutons in a salad. I think they have the right proportion of shitty croutons in the salad. They're not too many. There's just like a little bit of crunch in there. A little crunch, yeah. I think that dinner salad is really well done.

And then as far as the rest of the meals concerned, Mitch, you drafted fountain coax. I imagine part of the reason that was in your head is because we all got them there. I got the vanilla Coke, and you guys got the cherry Coke. And just to clarify, this isn't the cherry Coke that you get in a can.

They will make a cherry Coke using cherry syrup. Yeah, they'll pour in some grenadine. And then the vanilla Coke, similarly, it's not the vanilla Coke that they had packaged for some time. It's an actual Coke that they're pouring vanilla extract or whatever syrup, vanilla syrup into it.

Vanilla syrup, yeah. I always think of soda fountain sort of stuff as kind of more East Coast-y. So I love that Bob's is a place out here to get something like that. Even though the cherry syrup was a little bit over. It was a little intense. I had a sip of Weigar's vanilla Coke.

It was a little bit more balanced. I slurped it down, though. That's as much Coke as I've drank in one sitting in a while. And our server was fantastic and just kept them coming. But I did one and a half or two there. Yeah, no problem. Three refills on a cherry Coke, that's a pretty good deal. Yeah, it's not bad.

And you mentioned our service. Our service was outstanding. Claudia, 13 years. Claudia did a great job. That restaurant was packed. It was very, very busy. We waited 25 minutes for a table for three. I thought it was even longer than that, to be honest with you, Bob. Yeah, well, that was the wait time they gave us.

They didn't actually verify that versus a stopwatch, which I should have done. I was so shocked by that. I thought there would be no one in the fucking restaurant at all. And it was packed. It was jam-packed. We hit it at the peak moment because I noticed the line subsided there. But yeah. There was nothing special going on.

I guess you're in LA. Some of that could be tourist traffic for sure. It's a pretty iconic location. But I don't remember that being a problem in my youth that good old Frisch's big boy in Dayton, Ohio. It certainly wasn't in my youth. There was a Bob's big boy in Lakewood, California for a time. It gradually closed and turned into a Coco's.

But we would go to the Bob's big boy. And you know what I remember from it? It was before there were smoking bands everywhere. It was one of the restaurants in town that had a cigarette machine and had a smoking section. Did you used to go up to the cigarette machine and pull on those knobs?

That was so fun. I used to do that as a kid too. I feel like that used to be a thing that went hand in hand with diners and I completely forgot about it as other people used to smoke in there a bunch. Maybe that's part of the decline as well. Because I think it used to be a place. You know what? I'm starting to see all these factors

are coming together. Because you can't smoke indoors so it's not a place where you would linger as much anymore. And then the other thing, which we haven't touched on yet, the rise of the coffee shop. The Starbucks effect. Which was the main reason you maybe went in. The main reason. People would go in there

for a cup of coffee and read the newspaper and that would be what they would do. And now you've got a Starbucks where you can do that. You've got a coffee being the tea leaf. You've got your local snobbish coffee store. Coffee store. This is going to make your heads of cold brews.

I'm going to make a strong statement right now. Yeah. Just tell me now. Diner so white. Ferguson. You know I'm a nice progressive man. God damn it. Well, you don't know if I'm nice or not.

I'll make this statement right now. I like diner coffee more than any other coffee shop coffee there is. Wow. I'm serious. It's like maybe Dunkin Donuts because I grew up on it. Sure.

Had it since I was a teenager. And that's Donut Shop which is its owner's genre. Yeah. It never got me as why Starbucks tastes burnt to me. It's super strong. If you just give me a cup of a diner cup of coffee, just black coffee,

I feel like I'm going to like the taste of it the most and it's going to like give me the alertness and wake me up and give me that caffeine. The right level of caffeine that other coffee shops don't usually either give me too much.

Just usually just too much. Absolutely. Yeah. Mitch, I agree with you. I enjoy a nice cup of coffee if I've got a pour over from an artisan coffee roaster

like a really nice well-crafted cup with some really distinct flavor. I will enjoy that. But if you gave me my choice, yes, I like that shitty diner coffee that's been sitting in that pot on that burner for a while and a waitress is pouring it into that mug. That's my favorite.

Any listeners out there if you agree, what's a good hashtag for that? Diner over. Let's see, we're talking about whether you want the Starbucks or do you want the diner coffee? The one option is like hoity-toity-fru-fru

and then the other option is the right option. Good ol' cup of joe. Yeah, do you want... Pros vs. Joes. That's pretty good. Pros vs. Joes. Joes being the diner. Pros is the coffee

from the coffee professionals. Let's get into the rest of our meal. Vanilla Coke, you guys have the cherry coques. We're coming with the cherry coke and the vanilla coke I thought was well balanced. Well balanced and then we got the Bob's Famous Onion Rings to start. Very good onion rings.

Yeah, they did a great job. Perfectly fried. I can't tell if they must maybe hand batter them in there, right? I can't tell if they come frozen. It seemed like an unfrozen situation. I mentioned this at dinner, but my dad's favorite fast food item

by far, big boy onion rings. I tried a ranch, which is actually a little weird. I enjoy it because I'm such a ranch head, but I don't know. It's a weird condiment. You think that's weird? I commonly associate onion rings with ranch dressing. Agreed. Maybe this is just a personal hang up.

It's always struck me as a little forced. Oh, gotcha. I don't know. Maybe it's just... Okay, I thought that they went... I thought that onion rings went well together. I think it's great. I think it's because I had ranch on my stomach. You were literally holding your stomach

while recording this podcast. This is a nice light dinner for me. So, what's your situation? Do you have those bad boys dry, or do you like them in a little ketchup? I'll sometimes do my onion rings dry. I'll sometimes do a Thousand Island, but that's just as weird.

So, yeah, I don't know. It's not crazy to me. I don't know what else I would dip it in. I think I'd probably do ketchup or dry 90% of the time. I'd say I would want either ketchup, but I really enjoy the ranch this time. I like barely... I dipped an onion ring in ketchup once, but I was going back to that ranch. I liked it.

Yeah, it's good, and they give you a generous portion. All right, let's get into our mains. So, I got the Papi's Fried Chicken with Fries. It comes with your choice of potato. I elected to go with Fries, because I love fries with fried chicken. And a vegetable, which was basically steamed broccoli, cauliflower,

and carrots. It all felt like frozen vegetables. Yeah, they did not look good. I'll say that. I don't think there's a diner in the world that does that, right? Well, I think that the frozen vegetables are kind of like one of the things that people expect there. And it's also just like a very cheap way to fill out the plate. I think you're the second person I've ever seen

ordered other than my grandma. Yeah, they were very... they were flavorless. I think they needed some salt and some butter or something, but they didn't really have much to them. But the fries were very good. And the fried chicken... I've eaten at Bob's Big Boy a number of times. I've never opted for the Papi's Fried Chicken.

Very, very good. And you get four pieces. And the plate, I think, all together is either 1049 or 1149, which I think is a really good value for a meal that they bring to you on a nice plate. Yeah, I was very, very impressed by that. Great crispness, great flavor, nice seasoning.

The meat was juicy, which is not... you don't always see with fried chicken. Yeah, for places... It was super juicy. For places known for its burgers, if you told me, like, hey, this is known for its fried chicken, I would have been like, oh, yeah, of course, I understand why. Very, very, very good.

I told you that it tasted like fried chicken my grandma would make or something. I want to alert your listeners. Frisch's Big Boy, as an example, I don't think had at least not that trademarked fried chicken. I think they might have had a fried... and maybe things have changed. I haven't been there in a while.

But I think this might be one of those possibly regional things. It seemed like a surprise to me unless I've just forgotten. Well, speaking of regional, we also got the Northridge Melt, which leads to Northridge, California, which is a nearby city, most famous for an earthquake in the 1990s.

Which was suggested by our server, Claudia. We asked Claudia what she liked the best. Dave asked Claudia what she liked the best. And that was her recommendation. And that, I thought, was pretty good, too. I had a couple bites of that. But I thought that was pretty yummy.

It was pretty good. I felt like it was trying to get a little bit of the best of both worlds, because there was thick cucumber in it, and it was going to be a melt. It was kind of like a fresh melt. There was a lot going on, and I can see why an employee would order it, because it was a venture from their usual.

But it had a good grill flavor on the chicken breast itself. And then avocado... It's basically what a lot of places would call a California melt. They're going to add avocado and some fresh greens, but we're basically doing a chicken melt. It was good. It was tasty.

I liked my main cheddar. And Claudia, our waitress, she saw that we were eyeing chili fries, and she was very nice to give us what it was called, Northridge Melt, with a side of chili fries. And, you know, I guess

the way I look at the Northridge Melt, if you're going out for a meal with three people and you're ordering seven entrees, throw in the California melt. It was good. I thought it was a good decision. We did not eat a lot of it.

And the chili fries, we did not, but Nick's going to take them home to his lovely wife, Natalie. Now I can't forget them in the fridge, which I was afraid I was going to do. So thank you for recording that, Mitch. I hope you forget them, and it's one step closer

to me taking your place in the old water also. The chili fries were okay. They were very much like... I said it when I tasted it. I'm like, these are the most chili fry chili fries I've ever had in my life. Not great, not bad at all.

They did the job completely. I was a little disappointed when it came to my main meal with the fries. I know that you said you liked them, but maybe just a little too cold or something. The onion rings blew me away. So then when I had the fries, I was just like, they were just okay.

My fries were not cold, but I wonder if it's because they had that hot chicken kind of keeping them warm. Yours were a little separated from your burger there. Maybe they got a little chili on the... Or maybe they just came out first. Yeah. Just real quick on the chili fries

before Dave gets to his main. I like their chili cheese fries quite a bit. I like Bob's chili. I've gotten their chili spaghetti before. Their chili size is maybe the item I've gotten the most from there. Natalie, my wife who you mentioned, is a chili fries aficionado.

She really likes the Bob's big boy fries. Maybe what you're saying is not a mark against it. No. It's basically saying it's a very good solid execution of it. I mean, I think that I am not a crazy chili fries fan. Yeah. I'm kind of more of a classic plain fries guy

with ketchup. Dry or wet. Wet, a little ketchup. Dry, of course, with salt. I like my fries a little bit crispier. And these ones aren't... I like them even a little bit more crispy.

Yeah, they definitely get a little soggy from the oil. Okay, talk about your dinner, Dave. My main was the big boy. Not the super big boy if you're ever at a big boy franchise. I think this is nationwide. The super big boy is a slightly larger patty. The regular big boy would be more akin to a Big Mac size patty.

It's a little scaled up. It's like I'm the big boy. Mitch is the super big boy. Exactly. Thank you so much for articulating. Fucking asshole. And that came with the salad and the side of fries. Which, again, that combo. My God, that's so much. It's a lot of food. It's reasonably priced for all you're getting.

I finished everything, but by the time we were biting into our burgers I remember being like, man, I'm pretty stuffed. I got really full. I had an entire chicken breast that I did not eat. Yeah. It was very, very filling. I picked at it. It was good. Yeah, but I would say that

there is maybe something to evaluate the amount of value you get. Because basically every meal you get comes with a dinner salad. It's just included in the price. It's not an extra two dollars. And that in of itself is like, it's a substantial

salad that you're getting in a big bowl. So it's a lot of food. And if you're looking for the Weiger fill you up stamp of approval. That's your expression, right? It'll fill you up. I think you need to, you know, you gotta coin that a little bit.

Do I say that a lot? Oh my God, yes. I get it all the time. It'll fill you up. So, yeah, I think it gets the Weiger fill you up stamp of approval if I have the permission to give that out. Or tasty treats or whatever the fuck Elsie says. The podcast needs more double words.

By the way, I totally have a rumbly in my tumbly. Is that what you say? Oh God, that's my least favorite one. The rumblies. You got the rumblies. So, the two fry options. Four-year-old. I think I think

both fries were slightly disappointing to me. Okay, fair. I kind of agree. This is where a Google, I could figure this out with a Google search, but if you guys can help me quickly determine this with a hashtag or something, does frishes have crinkle fries?

Does frishes crinkle? Because I think, I remember the fries having a totally different texture. Hashtag does frishes crinkle. Yes or no. I would be curious because something about them felt a little just standard like Wendy's or McDonald's fries

where I remembered them more as a more substantial diner fry. With maybe more crisp too. This is a huge thing. I can't overstate this even on this podcast. What I ate today was not my big boy. It is the original big boy.

But my big boy has no, what is the red sauce? It's like a red relish. Mine has tartar sauce. That's insane to me. A burger with tartar sauce on it is bananas. Dave ordered a side of tartar sauce.

I wanted to try to simulate it and it wasn't the same because the frishes, they sell the tartar sauce at supermarkets across Ohio. Because people like this tartar sauce, it's a little more pickley. Big Mac is kind of like a creamy relish sort of deal.

When I put the tartar sauce on the burger and you try it, I was like it tastes like fish. It just tastes like I put like a fish bone. Like they put shrimp in there. So yeah, that was a disappointment, but there's no fault of their own. I knew I was walking into that. And it's a fun, I love, this is where franchises

can take chances. The different traditions survive and I think that's really neat. That a bobs and frishes which isn't even honored by the big boy franchise. If you look at the locations nationwide there are a lot of them. It doesn't even show up on the map. And they have their own identity as is shown.

So that was both a positive and a negative because it's like, hey, I'll try something different, but it's not perfect for me. And then, yeah, so then the two types of fries, the burger itself. Oh, and then I had a cherry coke as well, but I got a small kitty milkshake which was nice enough

to put in a paper cup to go. Claudia was so accommodating. She was the best. It was such a weird request. We asked for a child's milkshake to go to share with three grown men. You know, I just want to say real quick before you finish up, Dave. Please.

I think Claudia is going to be our first inductee in the Doughboy's server Hall of Fame. Whoa! Very nice. She was very nice. She was fantastic. You know what? I vetoed that. It's fucked up, bitch.

A server superstar. She gets it. Yeah, so, I mean, that was it. And, you know, it was what I expected. Nothing was off. Nothing was mind-blowing, but I certainly got my dose of nostalgia.

So, yeah, that was my general take there. Your dose of nostalgia. Thank you so much. Let's go ahead, bitch. I just got to quickly break down. I also had the bobs. I talked about my fries. I just talked about my main sandwich. I also had the bobs big boy. I didn't go the double size where I'd be like, Wiger was making fun of me for being

bigger. He's the sizeest piece of shit. I wasn't... You're a larger man than me in several aspects. You are taller than me and a little thicker than me. I wasn't trying to make a sizeist joke. You were a sizeist. Well, okay.

Well, I apologize. Wiger and shame him for being sizeist. I'm not trying... I don't want to weight-shame anybody, so I apologize for doing that. You really got him whipped. By the way, speaking of size real quick, that tank top I wanted to buy... I wanted to buy this funny tank top that said I've never met a big boy I didn't love

or I didn't kiss or something. I thought it was $18. I went to ring it up. $28. Oh, no. Not worth it. Yeah, not worth it. So, I bailed on the joke, but they need to lower... They can get their word out and their image out if they just price those more reasonably. Now, Dave, you're a thin man. What's your shirt size?

A women's small? Yeah. Well... If I've eaten a meal like tonight, maybe a woman's small. Maybe. That's insane. It would have been a funny joke for... A woman's small? I think it's reasonable.

It would have been funny for people to see Dave wearing the shirt in our picture, but it's not going to happen. I'll go back and buy it when I'm drunk some night and then I'll send you a photo. Perfect. We'll put it up on the website. With just the tank top on the website, the website being twitter.com. I had the Bob's Big Boy

and I just want to say the mixture of the red relish and the mayo and the cheese, the American cheese and the two burger patties, it is... And I put some pickles on there, too. I went into

Bob's Big Boy being... I mean, maybe I'll say that for my final thoughts. I'm just going to say this. It's a lot. It was a lot like a Big Mac. It was very much like a Big Mac. Just remember, it precedes it. It precedes it. I really enjoyed it. Let's wrap up our thoughts on it. Let's get to our final thoughts.

Dave, you know how this works. Give your closing argument and then give a fork verdict on the order of one to five forks. Go ahead. Look, this is the original. If not one of the originals. And it's

a slice of Americana love it or hate it. And if you hate it, why the hell are you there? Wait a second. That sounds bad now that we put it in racial terms. Everyone is welcome. Oh, boy. But

the blessing and the curse of regional development means that you're going to have the familiar elements and then you're going to have your own connection. And that my experience today remind me that a lot of my love of it is probably grounded in some nostalgia. We had a four-panel menu

that wasn't too much. It wasn't too little. Yeah, for current diners it's not crazy big. It's reasonable. And the Big Mac, possibly my favorite fast food item of all time, owes its very existence to this place. The iconography

it could easily be a museum. If they wanted to that Bob's especially in California could be a museum. Yes. But they maintain a true family chain restaurant. There's a lot to be said of that. You could just serve crap in a museum.

But they maintain a restaurant. So for all that considered I'm teetering on a 5 but I'm going to go with a 4 because I can't guarantee you'll have that experience at every location. Yeah. So I'm going to say 4-4. I'm going to go right now Mitch and let you close out

because Dave and I being very similar men we have come to very similar conclusions. Bob's big boy is a classic the big boy himself is an icon. We have all come to know and love him.

The restaurant chain has expanded and contracted in our lifetimes and now kind of settled in where it's basically regional to it's dotted across North America in a few places but almost all of the locations are centered in two places, Michigan

and Japan. So it's not something that's necessarily available but I think if you're near one it's worth checking out just for its contribution to chain restaurant culture in America if it's a place you haven't been I think it's worth the trip.

It may be not a special trip but if you're near one and you haven't been check it out. I think it absolutely delivers on that nostalgia we talked a lot in sports metaphors today Bob's big boy is a fastball down the middle it's a baseline jumper, it's a half back dive

it's a very very half back dive half back and he runs up the middle. A very simple straightforward straight ahead chain that gets the job done and I'm gonna be ballpark buds

a hand holding club with Dave Ferguson with my four fork verdict. Wow, so it can get in the golden plate club with me. Well I went to this place when I was going in a part of me was like this place kind of

sucks. That was in my head. I did think that a little bit about Bob's I don't dislike it but there's been times where I'm like Bob's isn't great. Yes. Going in there that Bob's big boy burger is undeniably

very good and it feels very much kind of like a gourmet big mac like a better quality big mac even though I love the big mac it is what it is that burger really really works for me.

I love diner food. I really do. I don't love what diners used to do with the whole racist aspect that Weiger brought to this but I love diner food and I love that nostalgia

element but you know what much like the man who hijacked Bob himself natural Bob I'm feeling a little evil 3.94 Oh my

not in the golden wow. Somehow I feel that this is a personal vendetta against me. Against Dave Ferguson? Maybe a little bit. Just on the outside looking in so I'm trying to think 3.94 so we're dealing with a hypothetical 5

pronged fork 5 times and then it's got 4.5 times on that 4th fork. That's a big ass crazy fork we got. Okay. Alright. I think you would have given it a 4 if you had not seen a single diverse person.

I'm assuming that point one Ferguson I'm going to say did you choose this restaurant because you missed your mentor and old co-worker Bob Odenkirk? Oh absolutely it's a subconscious choice I wonder if he would be a great person

to ask what do you think he has no nostalgic bone but he kind of does a little bit too man that's a great question you got to try to call him up that would be great we could get him on this podcast he'll be annoyed immediately he'll keep it clipping along

justifiably think this is a huge waste of his time tell us that on the podcast to our faces be correct we'll have more spots we might have a nice and short we'll be able to get on there and one last thing before we move on

of all the diners throughout history fiction and non-fiction maybe a diner from the past what's your hashtag dream diner what's a place you'd want to eat at wow because you see him a lot

in films you got what's it called diner what came into my head but I was trying to think of the one where Mel's the George Lucas one is that just a mel's my mind immediately went to monks cafe

from Seinfeld the max from save by the bell a lot of options use the hashtag dream diner chime in with your preferred diner from the world of cinema and television it's time for a regular segment

this is last meal Dave Ferguson you've been sentenced to death that's right it's about time if you ask me what crime did our friend Ferguson commit that ended up putting him in this perilous state it's the future

air is now money air is now money this is some sort of dystopian state like Mars in total recall where oxygen is a limited resource and you can use it as currency Dave Ferguson places a big time air bet

on the Dayton Flyers for the NCAA championship they somehow warmed their way in I don't even think they're eligible but they somehow aren't are eligible are they division one men's basketball school

they were in the elite eight like three years ago guys where they really how on earth did we forget about that anyways this is the far future Dave they couldn't get into the tournament for a while okay no problem Dave makes the bet and he puts his life on the line

and guess what he's making the bet with the government this is the future remember the government is corrupt oh the real loan sharks is Uncle Sam that's right also he makes fun of Mitch a little bit too much that's what I thought

and that goes in it was my very last breath it wasn't going to be a death sentence but then he started making fun of Mitch and people decided he should be put to death your execution you're to be crushed by unsold birthday boy Stevie T

season one and season two there were never enough made to kill a man there was a high demand for a short period of time in the future after star Mike Mitchell became cool and successful which justifies why making fun of you is now a felony

okay I got it so Dave you know that you perhaps what may be end up being your signature achievement being one of the writers and stars of the birthday boys sketch show a hilarious wonderful sketch group

that had a very very funny I think down the line will be very influential TV show but this ironically is going to crush you to death the executioner comes to you the night before this the sentence is about to be carried out

by the way I'm the executioner Mitch is the executioner he is somehow still alive this far in the future so you know this is a real fictional hypothetical scenario total hard sci-fi so what do you say to Mitch is in your last meal

and I can make the whole meal yes you can make the whole meal well my first question would be what if I could have Mike Mitchell's lunch that would be the ultimate if I could take from my lunch right underneath your very nose

I don't care if it's disgusting grovel the fact that I could take away sustenance for you for a mere one hour period or for the very moment of my own execution this is going to end with you getting crushed happy moment this is like an Edgar Allen

po take on the last meal a little ironic reversal but irony aside I'm going to go ahead and put also to the side the Big Mac because I've I've already circled it as my all time favorite fast food item and also probably Mitch is going to say it's illegal

in the future for some reason if you want that as a little side item that's fine but go ahead let's hear this full meal I would want perfectly fried chicken like just moist but really

thoroughly fried like dark meat maybe a lego fried chicken me too mac and cheese and it doesn't have to be fancy a velvita style shells and cheese

preferably maybe the Annie's brand a little healthier too I want those two items and then it gets tricky I'm going to go back to a very small side salad along the lines of what we've been discussing

and then I'd want one like great gourmet item like a perfectly grilled like pork belly because that's what I've noticed about my taste and we didn't talk about it all today I like the high class and I like the people's meal

and I think having that balance a little bit of almost barbecue, mac and cheese a little maybe like fried chicken and some greens like maybe along the lines of the salad we were talking about or something a little elevated like a grilled asparagus or something

I think that's perfect like a commoner who became a noble who sometimes like to eat like a lord and sometimes like to eat like a peasant I'm still one of the people now Ferguson what are you having to drink my man question

what time of day is it the executions are carried out at 12.01 a.m. but I would say they usually do it in the middle of the night for whatever reason but you're probably eating around 10 I'll just apply my same philosophy I want

just a great beer like an IPA just like a nice like craft good beer give us a brand I've been drinking a lot of Lagunitas but that's not even my favorite I'd have to like go back

through the log but it doesn't have to that's not even the important thing to me do you have a fried chicken in your head that would maybe fit the bill for yes there's a place out here what's the burger place I'm always trying to get you to go to it's gonna slowly slip my mind

there's this great burger place out here plan check oh I love the plan check so the crazy thing if you're an LA listener you get the burger because they're so unbelievable but that fried chicken sandwich is also the best fried chicken sandwich I've ever had better than their burgers

that fried chicken sandwich I think is their best item you're a little late I've been going to plan check far too often I know I invited you to go your first time sorry so yeah that the offset would be like a milkshake which was almost like a dessert

you're talking boneless fried chicken you know it's funny fried chicken are a good thing to make you feel like you're having a natural product but I actually don't think unlike ribs or something else or wings

I don't think the bone is that important on a piece of fried chicken if it's truly a breast that was thrown in a fry so you have boneless dark meat and then you're having a little beer with that and having a little milkshake for dessert that's a meal almost as gluttonous as the very one we had today that's giving me the rumblies

oh Jesus that's quite a great answer Dave I should crush you still but um right when I'm about to pull the lever to the truck to unload the tons and tons

of unsold season one into birthday boy DVDs Dayton Flyer alum John Gruden floats down in an air hovercraft oh here's your arm Dave and he pulls you away and as you two

ride off together arms around each other uh you yell to me Mitch you're not that bad and you can have Katie and you fly away Jesus Christ a fate worse than death um

alright that was the last meal just like a restaurant we value your feedback let's open up the feedback today's email comes to us from Allison Wolf dear dough boys I would like to know if Spoon Man has been on any dates recently would he take a date to a chain restaurant

and if so which one I am rooting for Spoon Man to find love that's a very nice email Allison uh Mitch is very personal to you but Dave you may have some insight into Mitch's romantic daylances what's the verdict right now

no I have not been on any dates recently but thank you for asking I'll go on dates one I'm good and ready to go on dates um at age 56 who cares love is overrated anyway they all looked at me sadly

much like the bones and fried chicken um I would maybe go to a chain restaurant I think it would have that's the question correct yeah I would maybe go to one I think it would have to be somewhere kind of kind of in LA I don't

if I if I want go on a date or something I probably wouldn't take someone to a chain restaurant just because like we said they're kind of weirdly spread out but I would that would be fun to go to like a Chili's or something and if the date is down with it and thinks it's

kind of fun and cool I definitely maybe that's more of like a third date or something or something that's like yeah isn't that weird though I agree and I would answer the same if I were in this situation but it should be low stakes environment especially a diner-y vibe yeah I

I hear you I think you're right I think it sends a weird first impression yeah I went on a uh my personal standpoint I took a woman on a date to a California pizza kitchen in college it was close to UCLA campus and it was one of those things where it was

like we were going when it was night but it was still light out so I was like ah you know if I get someplace that kind of casual and uh I took her there and that was it so that's my experience sounds better than my college experience um

you know what I think I think I'm trying to think of what the best chain is I said I tossed out Chili's but I'm trying to think of like what a good and I think Chili's actually would be fun I'm trying to think of what a good a good chain dates yeah yeah I feel like and I don't know if this counts

I mean an obvious answer would be like to go to a dairy queen but you're talking about a different thing you're talking about that's probably the end of the night dessert yeah it's also too like cause I feel like a lot of chain restaurant food is very heavy right and like let's be honest you got like an El Torrito

or something you get yourself full of like a bunch of like fajitas right no one wants to fuck with a stomach full of fajitas Jesus Christ someone shh aiming high on the first date okay I guess we're just if we're just talking first dates right but I think that

today's millennial hookup culture that's not unheard of oh my god yeah you can really relate to them look take dating advice from naked meet a nice beautiful woman when you're 14 years old

hang with it and save yourself for marriage that's actually a great strategy for you because keep them guessing trust me I I yeah I mean here's the thing with LA

I would probably take a girl to like plan check or something like that a place where I think they would be like that was really good and they really enjoyed the meal a local chain that doesn't really feel like a chain yeah but if not I think chilies would be fun you can have some fun sure kind of margaritas

some frozen margaritas and some fun apps and stuff like that but but weiger is right a heavy food on a date can sometimes be a little tricky too just maybe one way to go is some place depending on who you're on a date with maybe some place that is a little kitschy and is like a little

like a bubblegump which we recently covered like this is kind of fun this is kind of a you know like a memorable experience for reasons other than the the food any other thoughts on that Dave? I think that's the biggest thing is you have to go in a context where you're still being yourself

so if you have an ironic distance that needs to be clear in the pitch of the venue because it would be really confusing to take somebody to a Burger King yes that's true without knowing you well enough to be like I'm goofing yeah and I would

love a girl who would get that yeah of course that's who you want follow up angle my final word of wisdom to Mike Mitchell people love Mike Mitchell that's true against all odds and logic whatever you're doing now isn't working try being

you damn self Mitch embrace it it works in real time it works great you're one of my favorite people and I could utter I could utter the worst thing about you and my very next breath well we're officially

somehow became brothers over the course of a decade so that's what happened and you know what my mom adapted all the birthday boys I love them and their brothers and we could strangle each other at any moment probably but you know what I had a lovely

friend date with the two it was great it was a lot of fun a lot of fun and the sex is going to be great too if you have a question or comment about the world of chain restaurants you can email us at dowboyspodguest at gmail.com check out our facebook page dowboys follow us on twitter at

dowboyspod please rate and review us on iTunes if you have a chance do you have something to say Mitch no we love you Dave we love you Dave thanks so much for coming on the show do you have anything you would like to plug at Dave the Ferg on Twitter and if you're ever in Cincinnati go get some Skyline Chili

that's my regional chain pick if you're in Ohio good local plug also for those of you who don't know Dave he's like the Leonardo of the leader not only of the birthday boys but of a lot of places he goes to right the guy gets a lot done that other people can't

do and I tip my hat to the man he's a smart funny great guy when I worked at Dave when I worked with Dave at funny or die he had a reputation among the writing staff for being the one person who is competent and I think like

absolutely like Leonardo leads Donatello does machines Ferguson is up there leading with the blue back there Michael Andrew the party dude a little bit Michael answer them a little bit Raphael and sometimes they bump heads but guess what their brothers baby

you're kind of you're kind of like the big Crang robot someone tweeted that yeah I stole that from a listener tweeted that in only without Crang without the Crang brain just a big lumbering off well take us home

Bebop that'll do it for this episode Bebop and Rocksteady and now Dave by the way you went from being the one competent writer at funny die to the only writer oh boy

that'll do it for this episode of No Boys until next time for the Spoonman Mike Mitchell I'm Nick Weigher happy eating see ya