ANDERSON — For months, loyal customers and fans of the Big Boy have been asking the same question: Is Frisch’s Big Boy closing its doors?
Lee Ann Lehman has the answer, but she’s not telling.
Lehman is the general manager of the 50-year-old Anderson business and said restaurant officials are keeping their lips sealed until July 18.
July 18, she said, is when the restaurant will celebrate its 50th anniversary with its annual cruise-in.
The event will feature the Piston Poppers Car Club that meets at Frisch’s each Wednesday along with checkerboard cakes and Big Boy cookies.
The main attraction, however, will be the big reveal.
“The owner’s son is coming up from Louisiana so he’s going to make an official announcement of our future plans,” Lehman said Wednesday.
In addition to rumors that the business might close, Frisch’s customers have also speculated in recent months that the business is moving to a new location.
Frisch’s has been at the Broadway Avenue location since the day it first opened in 1959, Lehman said.
So, is it moving?
Lehman won’t say, but she does admit that the corporate offices of the Frisch’s Big Boy franchise are not happy with the restaurant’s current facilities. “They are just saying this building’s too old so we need to tear it down or build a new one.”
But tearing down the 50-year-old building only to rebuild on Anderson’s north side isn’t an option, she said. “There’s not enough traffic here on this side of town to build a new Frisch’s.”
Lehman has been addressing the concerns of her customers for months. “We’ve had so many people asking, everyone who came to the register.”
Although she admits corporate wants her to move, and that rumors are swirling, Lehman won’t disclose the final decision of the business.
One rumor indicated that the franchise may locate to the Grindstone Charlie’s building on Scatterfield Road.
It’s not completely unfathomable, she said. “We were looking to move to the Grindstone Charlie’s building. That is the best place we can be. It is the traffic. It’s a hot spot.”
The restaurant was not able to scout a new location in secret, she said. “As soon as we went to check into the Grindstone Charlie’s building, people down in Florida wanted to know if we were moving, if we were closing down.”
Although she said Grindstone Charlie’s is an ideal location, Lehman will not disclose the future of Frisch’s until July 18.
Linda Dawson, director of economic development for the City of Anderson, was little help in determining Frisch’s secret. “They have not consulted with the city. If they’ve made that decision, I’m sure it was based on their own research and studies and decision.”
If Frisch’s does locate to the area near Scatterfield Road, Dawson understands why. Businesses want to be near the competition. “No matter how hard we try, they always end up on Scatterfield. They all want to be beside each other.”
Leaving the building on Broadway won’t be easy, Lehman said. “The fact that we might lose it, it bothers people. It’s like taking away part of their past.”
Contact Brandi Watters 640-4847, brandi.watters@heraldbulletin.com
If you go
Attend the 50th anniversary cruise-in
When: July 18, 2 to 7 p.m.
Where: Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant, Broadway Avenue, Anderson
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Discussion
Frisch’s keeps quiet about closing rumors
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