Driving from Chicago to Traverse city we decided to stop at a Big Boy because it had an Old School flare about it, plus the large "Big Boy" character outside was appealing. It was high noon and the crowds filled the place. We were lucky to be seated relatively quickly, but I felt bad for all those people behind us. The wait was so long, some of them actually left. The servers and overall seating process seemed disorganized. I think if the wait staff designated one person (a host/hostess) to seat everyone, the process may have moved much faster. Also, if the same person notified all the customers that there was a wait and they would seat everyone as soon as possible, people may have been patient. We ordered a Caramel pecan milk shake, chicken tenders, and the Junior Big Boy Sandwiches. The Juniors were pretty standard, nothing to brag about, let's say most of us with a grill could do this at home. The Caramel Pecan Shake was extraordinary, I loved the flavor and half pecan pieces. The Chicken Tenders had a decent flavor, and were indeed tender. Our waitress was accommodating, so no complaints with service from her. However, within earshot, the wait staff were arguing and quite hostile toward each other and even a couple of customers. I even saw a lady with a pick up order ask politely about her order, and the staff ignored her twice. It may be worth a shot for the shakes, but otherwise not as impressive as the name.
(2)
Edward W.
Read Simon L's review. It's perfect.
(1)
Matthew S.
Now I think 3 stars is not bad for a corporate chain like Big Boy. I would say it's better than Denny's or Ihop but not as good as Baker Square. Mostly I was disappointed that the Big Boy wasn't working that day. I get it even Big Boy himself needs a vacation but I was still sad. There were a lot of big girls there however.
(3)
Chris G.
We enjoy coming here for dessert or a quick easy meal. Nothing fancy but consistent. I have always liked their coffee. Prices are increasing tho. We paid $4.99 for a grilled cheese sandwich. No pickle no fries. Stick to desserts and coffee.
(3)
Brian K.
T. Jacobson approved. Teri loved the Apple Bread Pudding and the rest of the Buffet. She does wish that chicken had been friend not simply baked... But definitely 5 for service.
(5)
Jesse N.
Eggs Benedict were a little different from what I'm used to seeing, may have been the ham in place of Canadian bacon. But it tasted good, the coffee is decent, and the servers are friendly. Get here during blueberry season if you can! Food definitely took too long to get to us, though.
(4)
Kevin K.
Avoid the breakfast buffet. Sausage Gravy was like water, poorly stocked, and not good. You won't become a Big Boy eating here. Wal Marts frozen food is much better
(2)
Yt L.
I know there are places that serve worse food, I just don't know where they are, fortunately. I can't even find words to describe how truly terrible & tasteless the food was in this place. It should be illegal to sell stuff this bad. If that's not dreadful enough, the place is super GREASY! There's a grease trail starting @ the parking lot, continuing right up to our booth. I had to wrap my shoes in paper towels & put on different ones to prevent getting my car floor greasy. Highly recommend going farther down the road & eating at McDonalds where the food is much better...or should be if it's held to McD's standards. At least the help wasn't horribly unfriendly & the bathroom was relatively clean w/only a half dozen paper towels strewn around the floor. (Yes I cleaned up after the slobs who threw them there.)
(1)
Rod C.
It's a big boy, you get decent food at a reasonable price! Good - Slim Jims, Patty Melt, Swiss Miss, Big Boy, Buffets, Parking! My original love of Thousand Island emanated from the salads here! Average- Service regarding food delivery can always improve, prices are reasonable Bad- Not much, you either like it here or you dont!
(3)
Phil N.
Service was average best. My French fries we soggy. People we're complaining about the soup and salad bar. I won't be back.
(2)
Steve S.
Food is not real exciting, service lousy. Took 45 minutes to get a BLT??? Keep on driving, overall sucked badly...
(1)
Aimee J.
This Big Boy is typical of the restaurant chain. Our burgers were good. The fries were really good. The salad bar was fine. Our 7 year old was happy with his chicken tenders. The waitress was attentive. The food came out fast enough. If we are ever traveling the highway near South Haven at dinner time and we need a fairly quick meal, we would probably stop there again.
(4)
Phillip P.
One of the worst big boys I ever ate at had breakfast bar was terrible every item I had was cold second time there once for dinner was very bad that time also. They really don't care because they draw from the tourist trade.
(1)
Simon L.
Can you give zero stars? This place is the worst. Looks clean but food is awful and watching the server scrape salt off the counter top with her hands and then putting it back in the shaker was amazing!
(1)
B G.
Coming from the Chicago area, my family and I had not been to a Big Boy restaurant, so when we were driving through Michigan, we decided to stop there for lunch. The location is off the highway near South Haven. There was surprisingly a lot of traffic and people for a smaller town. When we got in, I saw that it was a sit down place where you have a waiter. I was expecting more of a fast food type style. It's weird because the food IS fast food, yet they are trying to make it upscale with the sit down setting. It doesn't really work for me. We ordered a couple of the original Big Boy Burgers and a chicken sandwich. We all agreed the food was just ok, not great. The wait time for the food and the check was a little longer than expected especially given the fact that this place is on the highway and many visitors probably don't want to spend a long time there. I would try another restaurant next time.
(2)
Vanessa H.
VERY disappointed! Had the meat loaf, and it was like a frozen salsbury steak (nasty), the star of my dinner was my wilted broccoli.Someone at my table got an omelet and the omelet was so tiny, about 1 inch wide and 3 inch long. I don't think I will ever be coming back
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Drive-Thru : No
Ro D.
Driving from Chicago to Traverse city we decided to stop at a Big Boy because it had an Old School flare about it, plus the large "Big Boy" character outside was appealing. It was high noon and the crowds filled the place. We were lucky to be seated relatively quickly, but I felt bad for all those people behind us. The wait was so long, some of them actually left. The servers and overall seating process seemed disorganized. I think if the wait staff designated one person (a host/hostess) to seat everyone, the process may have moved much faster. Also, if the same person notified all the customers that there was a wait and they would seat everyone as soon as possible, people may have been patient. We ordered a Caramel pecan milk shake, chicken tenders, and the Junior Big Boy Sandwiches. The Juniors were pretty standard, nothing to brag about, let's say most of us with a grill could do this at home. The Caramel Pecan Shake was extraordinary, I loved the flavor and half pecan pieces. The Chicken Tenders had a decent flavor, and were indeed tender. Our waitress was accommodating, so no complaints with service from her. However, within earshot, the wait staff were arguing and quite hostile toward each other and even a couple of customers. I even saw a lady with a pick up order ask politely about her order, and the staff ignored her twice. It may be worth a shot for the shakes, but otherwise not as impressive as the name.
(2)Edward W.
Read Simon L's review. It's perfect.
(1)Matthew S.
Now I think 3 stars is not bad for a corporate chain like Big Boy. I would say it's better than Denny's or Ihop but not as good as Baker Square. Mostly I was disappointed that the Big Boy wasn't working that day. I get it even Big Boy himself needs a vacation but I was still sad. There were a lot of big girls there however.
(3)Chris G.
We enjoy coming here for dessert or a quick easy meal. Nothing fancy but consistent. I have always liked their coffee. Prices are increasing tho. We paid $4.99 for a grilled cheese sandwich. No pickle no fries. Stick to desserts and coffee.
(3)Brian K.
T. Jacobson approved. Teri loved the Apple Bread Pudding and the rest of the Buffet. She does wish that chicken had been friend not simply baked... But definitely 5 for service.
(5)Jesse N.
Eggs Benedict were a little different from what I'm used to seeing, may have been the ham in place of Canadian bacon. But it tasted good, the coffee is decent, and the servers are friendly. Get here during blueberry season if you can! Food definitely took too long to get to us, though.
(4)Kevin K.
Avoid the breakfast buffet. Sausage Gravy was like water, poorly stocked, and not good. You won't become a Big Boy eating here. Wal Marts frozen food is much better
(2)Yt L.
I know there are places that serve worse food, I just don't know where they are, fortunately. I can't even find words to describe how truly terrible & tasteless the food was in this place. It should be illegal to sell stuff this bad. If that's not dreadful enough, the place is super GREASY! There's a grease trail starting @ the parking lot, continuing right up to our booth. I had to wrap my shoes in paper towels & put on different ones to prevent getting my car floor greasy. Highly recommend going farther down the road & eating at McDonalds where the food is much better...or should be if it's held to McD's standards. At least the help wasn't horribly unfriendly & the bathroom was relatively clean w/only a half dozen paper towels strewn around the floor. (Yes I cleaned up after the slobs who threw them there.)
(1)Rod C.
It's a big boy, you get decent food at a reasonable price! Good - Slim Jims, Patty Melt, Swiss Miss, Big Boy, Buffets, Parking! My original love of Thousand Island emanated from the salads here! Average- Service regarding food delivery can always improve, prices are reasonable Bad- Not much, you either like it here or you dont!
(3)Phil N.
Service was average best. My French fries we soggy. People we're complaining about the soup and salad bar. I won't be back.
(2)Steve S.
Food is not real exciting, service lousy. Took 45 minutes to get a BLT??? Keep on driving, overall sucked badly...
(1)Aimee J.
This Big Boy is typical of the restaurant chain. Our burgers were good. The fries were really good. The salad bar was fine. Our 7 year old was happy with his chicken tenders. The waitress was attentive. The food came out fast enough. If we are ever traveling the highway near South Haven at dinner time and we need a fairly quick meal, we would probably stop there again.
(4)Phillip P.
One of the worst big boys I ever ate at had breakfast bar was terrible every item I had was cold second time there once for dinner was very bad that time also. They really don't care because they draw from the tourist trade.
(1)Simon L.
Can you give zero stars? This place is the worst. Looks clean but food is awful and watching the server scrape salt off the counter top with her hands and then putting it back in the shaker was amazing!
(1)B G.
Coming from the Chicago area, my family and I had not been to a Big Boy restaurant, so when we were driving through Michigan, we decided to stop there for lunch. The location is off the highway near South Haven. There was surprisingly a lot of traffic and people for a smaller town. When we got in, I saw that it was a sit down place where you have a waiter. I was expecting more of a fast food type style. It's weird because the food IS fast food, yet they are trying to make it upscale with the sit down setting. It doesn't really work for me. We ordered a couple of the original Big Boy Burgers and a chicken sandwich. We all agreed the food was just ok, not great. The wait time for the food and the check was a little longer than expected especially given the fact that this place is on the highway and many visitors probably don't want to spend a long time there. I would try another restaurant next time.
(2)Vanessa H.
VERY disappointed! Had the meat loaf, and it was like a frozen salsbury steak (nasty), the star of my dinner was my wilted broccoli.Someone at my table got an omelet and the omelet was so tiny, about 1 inch wide and 3 inch long. I don't think I will ever be coming back
(1)