Robert C. Wian (June 15, 1914 – March 31, 1992) was the founder of the Big Boy

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...

. The restaurant started as a 10-stool

hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically Ground beef, beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles ...

stand in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

, opening in 1936 with an investment of $300 raised from the sale of his car. Wian sold

Bob's Big Boy Bob's Big Boy is a restaurant chain founded by Bob Wian in Southern California in 1936, originally named Bob's Pantry. It is now part of Big Boy Restaurant Group, the current primary trademark owner and franchisor of the Big Boy system. At its ...

and rights to the Big Boy chain to the

Marriott Corp. Marriott Corporation was a hospitality company that operated from 1927 until 1993, founded by J. Willard Marriott and Frank J. Kimball as Hot Shoppes, Inc. In 1957, Marriott Corporation opened its first hotel in Arlington County, Virginia, ...

in 1967 for $7 million ($ million in ).

Biography

Wian was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, to Robert E. Wian and his wife Cora. The Wians moved to Glendale in 1924 while the younger Wian was still a child. Wian served as the mayor of the city of Glendale from October 1948 to April 1949 replacing a mayor who was removed by a

recall election A recall election (also called a recall referendum, recall petition or representative recall) is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of offi ...

. He continued on the city council but resigned in August 1948, citing conflicts with Bob's Big Boy and "a desire to make an occasional fishing trip". Wian was also a member of the service organization 20-30 Club, serving as president of the local Glendale club, governor of the Southern California district, and as national trustee. After selling Big Boy, Wian remained as a Marriott vice-president and president of the "Big Boy Restaurants of America" division for about a year, then sat on the Marriott board for an additional year before retiring. As a board member, Wian recommended Marriott approach his friend

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

about the use of his name to rebrand the corporation's RoBee's Roast Beef chain. Wian married Frances Abbott in 1935, who bore his only natural son, Robert Paul "Bobby" Wian (1936–1973). Following his divorce from Abbott in 1956, he married June Ealey-Baehler in 1957, becoming step-father to her son, Chapman "Chappy" Baehler, and daughter Barbara Baehler. The couple also adopted a son, Casey, and daughter, Julie. His joy in Casey and Julie, and his time with them too limited by business, influenced his decision to sell Big Boy. Wian retired in the 1970s and enjoyed outdoor activities on his 800-acre ranch in Valyermo, CA where he lived until relocating to Newport Beach in 1985. Wian died in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

, in 1992.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wian, Bob 1914 births 1992 deaths Businesspeople from California American restaurateurs Big Boy Restaurants Glendale High School (Glendale, California) alumni Mayors of Glendale, California 20th-century American businesspeople Deaths from cerebrovascular disease Burials at Pacific View Memorial Park