Bob’s Bigger Better…
If one were to drive around Calgary back in the 1970s and 1980s there was a good chance you’d pass by a Bob’s Burgers outlet. There used to be a dozen or more of them across the city (we used old phone directories to come to that number), making them a Calgary institution of the era. The chain seems to have disappeared by the early 1990s, or thereabouts, although one holdout lasted into recent times.
They used to serve up pretty good chow as I recall. But then I was a ravenous teenager when I last sampled their fare, and at that time Kraft Dinner was a gourmet meal, so who knows? Vague memories tell me the portions were good sized and the cost pretty reasonable.
Not far from BIGDoer HQ is a former location that’s still standing. Post Bob’s it was another burger joint and for a while was a successful coffee shop, that one day just up and closed. Most recently, it was a place called Rice Bowl Sushi, which only lasted a year or two. As of the publishing of this article, the building is vacant.
In spite of Bob’s being a fairly well known back then, there’s little info to be found on them today. Seems the whole town has forgotten about them – that the the majority of Calgarians are new Calgarians and never knew the chain likely accounts for that.
They used to have a slogan: “Bob’s Bigger Better Barbecue Broiled Alberta Beef Burgers” or maybe “Bob’s Bigger Better Beautiful Barbecue Broiled Alberta Beef Burgers”. Or some such thing. Either way it was a mouthful.
A former Calgary convenience store chain…
Loaf & Jug.
Short Subjects: reports that for any number of reasons are brief in nature. They might be updates to older articles, previews of posts planned or not yet published, brief snippets of things that don’t fit in anywhere else or subjects that are so obscure that information on them can’t be found. Or sometimes we just ramble on about Lord knows what.
If you need any more information on what we talked about here, by all means contact us!
Date of adventure: September, 2017.
Location: Calgary, AB.
This used to be Bob’s Burgers outlet, a chain that was once a Calgary Institution.
Most recently is was Rice Bowl Sushi, which recently closed.
At the peak, there were a dozen or so Bob’s in town.
The old drive-through window remains.
Bob’s had a slogan – “Bob’s Bigger Better BBQ Broiled Alberta Beef Burgers”.
I was an assistant manager for a year or so. Didn’t work out. But I got to keep the sign.
Oh, that is so awesome! I’ll Gram Slam and Merry Cherry shake.
Bob’s was my first job in 1981 during my last year of high school. I worked two or three weeks for the Bob’s 16th Ave. restaurant near SAIT before it was abruptly closed down. I think I made about $3.80 per hour. Free pop during my breaks but no discount on food. I remember the big white board to keep track of orders by hand and the conveyer belt on which the hamburgers were cooked.
The old Bob’s restaurant became a car dealership for a brief time but has been the home of various restaurants ever since.
Several weeks later I got a part time job at the Northland Mall IGA store. It was unionized and I started at $7 per hour. Sundays and holidays paid time and a half ($10.50). A different era.
Thanks for sharing these amazing memories! It seems everyone in school got into the job market via a gig at a fast food restaurant.
A bit of history for sure. I would like to help fill in some of those blank spots. The owner was Stan Bernard the brother of the owner of the Bob’s chain in California. Stan’s nephew Doug Bernard came up from California and worked in the chain. I worked for them near the end of the chain. They were starting to slow down and closing the slower stores so wanted to try a full menu family restaurant. They found a place in Nelson BC, built up a complete restaurant and Doug and myself opened the place. Doug as manager and me as chef. They spent way too much on the building part and the restaurant just never took off and fell after less than a year. The rest of the Bob’s chain disappeared within a year.
Thank you for sharing these. It was funny how one day there were everywhere and the next gone. Appreciate it.
I grew up on in Forest Lawn and I still remember Bobs burgers. Best BBQ burgers.
It seems they had a good following, then for what ever reason imploded. That suggests management issues verses a horrible product.
Just thought I’d search “Bobs Drive In”. Came across this. My extended family started Bobs. Good memories.
They used to all the city – you’d see them everywhere. Cool connection!
Oh I loved Bob’s. Definitely one thing I miss from when I was a kid.
Lots of former kids missing them!
I owned the successful coffeeshop from 1995 to 2010. Great memories. I sold the property to korean investors, and retired for 6 weeks. Lol. Now im the soup lady at local farmers markets within the city, under the name Primal Soup Co. We found an old safe in the floor…nothing in it but garbage, and met the man who planted the tall trees in 1964 on the edge of property. Used to be a chicken coop in the 40s.
After Bobs, it was HAgars, then texas burger, then cafe barista for 8 months, then I bought it. Theres only 3 locations still standing that i know about. They went bankrupt in the 80s, sadly.
Yes, I remember your place. Use to patronize it all the time – and the one at rec centre too. Haha, retired. We closed down our clothing factory, interestingly in 2010 as well, with the idea we could take it easy afterwards. This historic documentation stuff means we’ve never been busier. But it’s fun and interesting and low stress, so we no complaints. A safe? Cool! I remember the Texas themed place, I think it was called Texas-T. The other Bob’s where the buildings still exists…mind sharing what you know? Thanks for a great comment.
They were awesome. The one my parents used to take us to was at Heritage and Fairmont I believe.
There seemed to be one on every corner back in the day. Lots of them then, now none. Thanks for the comment!
I used to love Bob’s Burgers and the Arctic Orange Shakes.
Yes, another flashback. I remember the orange shakes! Thanks for stirring up some memories.
I miss those burgers!!!
Lots of comments coming in to that effect!
There was one in Forest Lawn at 17th Av and 38th St that I used to work next door to. It became, I believe, the 2nd Tim Horton’s to be built in the city in about ’85 or ’86. It was Tim’s up until this spring when they moved a few blocks further east. They wanted to have a drive thru.
I also remember Church’s Fried Chicken. They probably had a dozen or so locations too.
Heard from a lot of people and I suspect my estimation there was a dozen of these Bob’s might be on the low side. Thanks for adding to the story. An early Tim’s, for sure. Yes Church’s,, I recall them. Seems they still exist elsewhere in the world, just not in Calgary. Thanks for commenting!
There were quite a few Bob’s in Edmonton as well.
Interesting, I don’t think we knew that. Thanks for commenting!
Glenbrook Represent!!!
Yes, good old Glenbrook (the neighbourhood for this Bob’s).
With the metric system starting in 1977 all the burgers were named like Gram master Gram prix and so on.
Yes, I remember that! Wow, flashback.
Bob’s burgers name still exists in the strip mall beside the Glenmore Inn. It’s a greasy spoon with no resemblance to the original other than a few faded clippings. Interesting to see the bit of urban lore that Bob was Peter’s brother.I believe that Peters is a surname in any event.Another that made the rounds was that Steve (?) Papas owner of the White Spot Steak House had been found dead in the river,with his finger tips cut off.
That last “Bob’s” and like you I use the term loosely, has been gone for a while. I don’t think it was ever part of the chain and borrowed the name. Several people claim Bob and Peter of Peter’s Drive in fame (God that place has gone downhill since he left) were related. I thinks that’s a Calgary legend, but untrue. Never heard about that White Spot incidence. Hmmmm.
I remember the legendary Peters’ connection, back when I ate at Bob’s in the late 70s and early 80s. Always figured it was pretty unlikely that it was fact. Story I heard was Peter was happy with one restaurant but Bob wanted to go big. I type this in the parking lot of the Red Deer Peters’, now that the restaurant has gone at least a little bigger! I believe the original family sold a few years ago.
That Peter and Bob legend won’t die, but it makes the conversation interesting. Yes, the place was sold a few years back and the new owners have since gone on to open a few others. There are those who’ll argue it’s gone downhill since the take over, but still they always seem busy.
Further info.
Peter’s was not connected in any way to Bob’s. The other Bob’s that were around later were not connected with the original chain. I think one of them had bought the right to use the name and logo.
Steve Papas of White Spot Steakhouses was not found dead in the Bow River. That rumour probably started because of his supposed connection to the mob. I worked for him and spent a lot of time with him one summer. He was not mob, just “knew people”. He was a good man to work for.
Now this is interesting…
Used to be a Bob’s Burgers on Southland and Fairmont drive back in the day….it was terrific as a kid.
Lots of good memories of the place given all the comments coming in! This chain covered the city.