It’s been a very long goodbye, but it appears Bob’s Big Boy will disappear from Calimesa.
A regional chain called Sammy’s Cafe has posted a “coming soon” sign over the restaurant’s entrance and announced the acquisition in a Facebook video on March 1.
The restaurant occupies 1,75 acres at 540 Sandalwood Drive. Prominently located at on offramp to the eastbound 10 Freeway, the 5,500-square foot building is surrounded by a large parking lot with capacity for 127 vehicles. It was built in 1997 and opened in 1998.
Bob’s was part of a pioneering chain founded in Glendale in 1936 and credited with creating the double decker hamburger the following year. It is also known for its blue cheese salad dressing, sold in supermarkets, its hot fudge cake and especially the fiberglass statues of its mascot on display inside and outside its restaurants. They depict a boy in checkered overalls holding up a burger as if he were the Statue of Liberty.
The Calimesa Bob’s closed nearly four years ago in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been no announcement. The most recent post on its Facebook page, which still exists, is dated Oct. 6, 2020 and reads, “We are still closed. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Since 2020, efforts were made to reach the owners for comment, but there was no response.
One Bob’s restaurant remains in Riverside County, at 3521 Hamner Ave., Norco. There the fiberglass mascot in the parking lot wears a cowboy hat in honor of the city’s status as “Horsetown USA.”
Sammy’s Cafe is a family-owned business based in Upland with locations in Claremont, Rancho Cucamonga and Rialto. It serves a long menu ranging from breakfast to burgers, sandwiches, pasta, Mexican food, steak and, on weekends, prime rib.
No opening date has been set for the Calimesa restaurant. According to the chain, its restaurant in Calimesa is in development and permitting stages.
City Manager Will Kolbow wrote in an email that Sammy’s Cafe might not need more than a sign permit unless it makes other improvements to the property.
At press time, a Big Boy statues was still guarding the entrance.
Information: sammyscafe.net
