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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Frisch’s Big Boy Franchise

Frisch’s Big Boy is a regional family-dining restaurant chain rooted in Cincinnati, Ohio, with locations across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Its origins trace to Dave Frisch, who opened the Mainliner drive-in in 1939 and, in 1946, adopted the Big Boy double-decker hamburger, personalising it with a signature tartar sauce that remains a menu staple. The first Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant opened in 1947 under a licensing agreement with Big Boy founder Bob Wian.

The menu centres on American comfort classics: the Big Boy double-decker, hand-breaded onion rings, scratch-made soups, an unlimited soup and salad bar, breakfast service and the long-running Hot Fudge Cake. Units are full-service, dine-in formats built around nostalgia, value and the familiar Big Boy mascot that greets guests at the door.

Frisch’s holds exclusive Big Boy trademark rights for Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky and runs a mix of company-owned and franchised restaurants. It has operated an active refranchising programme to move company units into franchisee ownership, though its footprint has contracted recently. Buyers should review the brand’s current network and financial position as part of due diligence.

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Why buy a Frisch’s Big Boy Franchise?

Buying a Frisch’s Big Boy franchise means operating one of the Midwest’s most recognised regional restaurant names, with a heritage stretching back to 1939 and a customer base built on decades of local loyalty. The Big Boy double-decker, signature tartar sauce and comfort-food menu carry strong familiarity across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, where Frisch’s holds exclusive rights to the Big Boy name.

For an operator already established in the tri-state market, the brand offers a recognised menu, an iconic mascot and a refranchising pathway that has put company-owned restaurants within reach of independent owners. Franchisees work inside a defined regional territory supported by an established supply and operating system.

Frisch’s Big Boy Franchise Costs & Information

  • Minimum Qualifications

    • Initial Franchise Fee

      $35,000

    • Total Initial Investment

      $1,000,000 – $2,000,000

  • Royalty

    • Royalty Fee

      4%

  • Training & Support

    • Comprehensive operational

    • Marketing training

    • Site selection and lease negotiation assistance

Frisch’s Big Boy – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Frisch's supports franchisees through ongoing operational guidance, marketing, recipe and menu systems, and an established regional supply chain, drawing on decades of company-restaurant experience. Its refranchising programme, run with broker National Franchise Sales, has been used to transition company-owned restaurants to franchise operators. Resale buyers acquiring an existing Frisch's Big Boy unit should confirm with the franchisor what transfer training, ongoing operational support and operating-system access carry over to incoming ownership, particularly given recent changes across the network.

  2. Ideal Owner

    Frisch's Big Boy suits a hands-on, operations-led restaurateur comfortable running a full-service, dine-in format with scratch cooking, table service and a salad and breakfast bar. Multi-unit or franchise restaurant experience is valuable given the labour, food-cost and daily-operations demands of casual dining. Strong knowledge of the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana tri-state market, an appreciation of the brand's nostalgic positioning, and the managerial capacity to steady and grow an existing location all matter. Community-minded operators able to manage staff and hold consistent service standards fit the model best.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Frisch's Big Boy is one of the oldest and longest-operating Big Boy franchise groups in the country, with a brand history dating to 1939 and exclusive Big Boy rights across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Once a publicly traded company with a long dividend record, it built deep community recognition through decades of local sponsorships, including a long-running Cincinnati Reds radio partnership and support of the Cincinnati Zoo and Cincinnati Ballet. For resale buyers, brand-level heritage should be weighed alongside a specific location's current reviews, customer traffic and community standing.

  4. Industry / Market

    Frisch's operates in the US full-service, family-dining segment, part of a restaurant industry the National Restaurant Association valued at roughly $1.1 trillion in sales for 2024. Family-style casual dining is a mature, highly competitive category facing pressure from fast-casual and quick-service formats, with diners increasingly value- and convenience-focused. Regional heritage chains compete on nostalgia, table service and local loyalty rather than national scale. For resale buyers, local traffic patterns, labour costs and a location's standing in its community weigh heavily on performance.

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