What Makes Big Boy's Double-Decker Burgers Different From Frisch's?

Depending on your specific location, you may be fortunate to live near one of the best regional fast food chains. For fans of the double-decker burgers hailing from Big Boy franchises, one of the biggest distinctions comes down to the style of sauce. Whereas the Midwestern Frisch's Big Boy restaurants tend to use tartar sauce on their double-decker burgers, other Big Boy restaurants, including the Bob's Big Boy locations specific to California, typically use a blend of mayonnaise and a proprietary red relish, while other locations use a standard "special sauce."

According to the Frisch's Big Boy menu, its Big Boy double-decker burger is made with a quarter pound of beef patties, American cheese, shredded lettuce, Frisch's Original Tartar Sauce, and pickles. In contrast, the standard Big Boy menu boasts a double-decker burger of basically the same composition (minus the pickles) with the big exception of dressing the burger with its "Famous Big Boy Sauce." Looking at the Big Boy online store's pantry section, there are two different Big Boy Famous Sauce options, one of which is attributed to its Ohio locations and the other to its Michigan ones.

California's Bob's Big Boy, a restaurant once frequented by The Beatles, is not represented in this selection of products. Its red relish, made with ketchup, chili sauce, and sweet pickle relish, is specific to Bob's Big Boy locations. Although Frisch's, Bob's, and other Big Boy restaurants are far apart, you can still experiment with your favorite flavors right at home.

The very first Bob's Big Boy restaurant was opened by Bob Wian in Glendale, California, in 1938 and quickly became known for its double-decker burger and Wian's trademark pickle relish. In 1946, Wian met Dave Frisch, and the two made a deal, with the former giving the latter permission to sell his version of the double-decker burger. This variation used Frisch's own tartar sauce recipe to dress the burgers.

As the Michigan style of the Big Boy Famous Sauce bears a close resemblance to the Thousand Island-inspired secret special sauces used at a number of restaurants, it would seem that there are at least three different sauces at play depending on your regional Big Boy. If traveling across the country is not viable, you can just as easily prepare your own version of a Big Boy double-decker burger at home to see what tastes the best for you.

Going off of the Big Boy menus, the double-decker burger is made with a quarter pound worth of two beef patties, shredded lettuce, and American cheese housed on a sesame seed bun. That said, you can either order the two types of Big Boy Famous sauce online or try your hand at preparing a copycat version of each of the three known Big Boy sauces. Get adventurous and try all three in one burger, or consider making sliders to sample each one.