Big Boy heads for Reno area

Big Boy restaurants are coming to Reno but don't start fasting quite yet to make room for a double-decker burger with a shake on the side.

The company based in Warren, Mich., said last week it's signed an area franchise development deal covering Reno, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas.

The contract with Jim Talghani calls for the first two Bob's Big Boy restaurants in Las Vegas to be open by October, said Tony Michaels, chief executive officer of Big Boy Restaurants International LLC.

A total of six restaurants will be opened by 2007, and the company expects to have 16 restaurants operating in the state within the next eight years.

The company franchises more than 455 Big Boy Restaurants in the United States and Japan.

In the West, the franchised operations are known as "Bob's Big Boy" in honor of Bob Wian, who founded the chain in Glendale, Calif., in 1936.

When it launched a major franchise marketing effort in January, Big Boy Restaurants International said it received strong interest about potential Nevada locations.