There’s something nostalgic about biting into a juicy old-fashioned hamburger and sipping a cold chocolate milkshake.
It echoes back to a simpler time. A time when families used to actually sit down and eat a meal together, and when the local diner was the after school hangout.
Over 70 years later, one restaurant has stayed true to that vision, and their food has stood the test of time.
Designed to remember the past, yet embrace the future, the new and improved Oxford Big Boy, located at 955 S. Lapeer Rd., has incorporated a new retro touch and efficient design concepts all aimed at improving customer service.
From the use of red and white tile on the outside facade to the multiple floor coverings and large windows letting in natural light on the inside, the new Oxford Big Boy store is as warm and friendly as the Big Boy icon himself.
Norman Mourad and Sam Saleh, who are multiple-unit franchise owners, said they spent over $300,000 last year revamping the 5,000 square foot restaurant.
‘We knew this was a great community, great area, and one of the things we wanted to do was give them their Big Boy back,? Mourad said. ‘We didn’t just re-model, we re-gutted.?
With a more family-friendly feel, the restaurant has all new booths, updated cobalt blue hanging lights and a creative mural of famous Big Boy menu items on one wall. Both bathrooms were completely remodeled and are now ADA accessible.
Carryout is now receiving more emphasis at the restaurant, with a separate pickup counter and improved packaging. A small ice-cream soda fountain with a quilted stainless-steel counter has a prominent new area near the entrance, where customers who choose to sit on the stools can watch their shakes and malts being hand-dipped the old-fashioned way.
Big Boy’s menu is always home to the classics, like the famous Big Boy Original Double Decker ($3.89) and Swiss Miss ($4.19), but also features newer items, like their various Ciabatta sandwiches.
With room to fit 180 and a service staff of 40, the Oxford Big Boy takes pride in extremely good customer service, quality food and sanitation.
They offer a fresh soup and salad bar seven days a week and feature their famous breakfast buffet bar on the weekends, which Mourad said they hope to make an everyday routine sometime soon.
The new and improved Oxford Big Boy is also proud of its unwavering commitment of giving back to the community it serves.
Mourad said the restaurant frequently helps with fundraising for local athletic teams, churches, Celebrity Server Nights, and senior appreciation events thanking seniors for their patronage such as free breakfasts, senior discounts, etc.
Kids are also taken into account on character nights, when people like Spongebob Square Pants, Dora the Explorer and Elmo visit for photos and fun.
The new and improved Oxford Big Boy is open Sunday-Thursday: 7 a.m.-12 a.m., and Friday-Saturday: 7 a.m. – 1 a.m. Call them at (248) 628-4875 for carry out.