Bob's Big Boy statue

The statue stands at the entrance of Bob's Big Boy at 4211 West Riverside Drive, according to NBC Los Angeles in January 2025. The Los Angeles Conservancy dates the restaurant to 1949 and calls it the oldest operating Bob's Big Boy in the nation. A Los Angeles history blog says nobody knows how many times the statue has been stolen or kidnapped, and that it is now set in deep concrete. It describes the Big Boy statues generally as 300-pound fiberglass figures, says this one has been repaired many times and has had facelifts since 1949, and says taking it is a felony in Los Angeles County.

The Conservancy credits the design to architect Wayne McAllister and calls it a transitional design that pairs 1940s Streamline Moderne styles, such as broad, curving window walls and canopies, with an eye toward freeform 1950s coffee-shop architecture, such as cantilevers, striking signage and the use of glass. A 35-foot neon sign is, in its words, an integral part of the building. The Conservancy lists the building as a California Point of Historical Interest and says its Modern Committee led a successful effort in 1992 to have it declared one. The history blog adds that the restaurant once had both drive-in and sit-down service and, as of its 2023 post, hosted classic auto shows every Friday night.