Restaurant closes its doors this week
By Monique Valadez

Diamond Bar – After 35 years, Bob’s Big Boy in Diamond Bar is closed for business. Facing rising costs, expensive rehab and landlord disputes, restaurant owner James Tsai swallowed hard and announced that the place he’d owned since 1992 would shut its doors this week.

“We tried all we could to keep our doors open,” Tsai said.”We came to a point where we needed to end this land fighting. But ultimately it became an unfair fight where the landowner won.”

Tsai said he tried negotiating with the building’s landlord over the remaining years on the Bob’s Big Boy lease.

ANAPR was unable to reach the restaurant’s land owners, Garden Grove-based Lakeview Village, Corp.

The diner-style eatery, featuring a long, curved counter with wooden bar stools and small booths scattered throughout the dining room, went through a number of chefs, general managers and culinary styles as the owner repeatedly worked to capture an audience in the ever-changing demographics of the city, located on a busy intersection on Golden Springs Road and the 60 and 57 freeway.

“There are three reasons that changed our minds in closing our doors,” Tsai said.”First, there was spike in rent. Then, demographics had changing, and the last, the 57/60 freeway construction has already started and has moved a lot of businesses in the area.”

“Diamond Bar has always been good to us. The city council has also supported us but there was nothing they could do because of the landowners,” Tsai added.

The restaurant attempted a historical landmark petition campaign back in 2012, but failed to reach the 20,000 required signatures, Tsai said. The building first opened in 1979, and is 15-years young to be considered for the national historical landmark status, he said.

Now only two Bob’s Big Boy locations remain in California – Norco and Burbank.

Though it was no secret that business wasn’t exactly booming. It was also in dire need of costly repairs, according to customers and employees.

For the restaurant employees, the news hit hard. On Thursday afternoon, as if attending a vigil, three of the restaurant’s employees – Gloria Shepherd, Michelle Witt and Marcos Botello – and Tsai, were sitting on the barstools along the famed curved counter signing business cards with discount offers to present to customers as they walked up to the closed restaurant.

“It’s been sort of like a wake since the news broke,” waitress Michelle Witt said recently, seated in the restaurant’s barstool. “It was a punch to the heart, is what it was.”

At the counter of the restaurant, Gloria E. Shepherd, who has been with the restaurant roughly 22 years, recalled her longtime customers and fond memories.

“All four of my grandchildren have birth photos with their grandmother in a Bob’s Big Boy work shirt,” Shepherd said. “It’s just sad and I’m going to miss my customers that I couldn’t even tell we are closed. Hopefully, they will follow us over to Norco.”

Witt, who has worked as a waitress for five years at Bob’s, said that she is deeply saddened by the closure and most importantly will miss about having to shut down more for the longtime customers they’ve considered family but is ready to bring her friendly service to Norco’s Bob’s Big Boy.

“Between just our staff and customers, this was family,” Witt said. “This is a place where memories were made. Many people will tell us this is where they had our first date or the place where customers came after a football game. We’ve established traditions and family here. And now, it’s all gone!”

Tsai said he did all he could to keep the restaurant doors open but the landlord was very difficult to work with.

With nearly 45 employees, Tsai said he was able to get most of his staff transferred to the Bob’s Big Boy in Norco.

“About 65 percent of staff all got transferred over to the Norco restaurant,” Tsai said. “We tried taking care of all our staff. Some already had other jobs and others were unable to transfer due to the distance.”

“The Norco restaurant was very welcoming and have already started training us a new computer system,” Shepherd said. “Norco is actually closer to my Ontario home. I’m just not sure what the traffic commute or shift I will have but I’ll see what the future holds.”

With tears in her eyes and a shaky voice, “We’ll be here until we can to let the customers know we are closed.”

Shepherd, Witt and Botello have remained loyal to the bitter end. They say they’re taking shifts at the restaurant to personally inform customers of the closure. They start their new jobs Dec. 1 at the Norco restaurant.

“Looks like we’re trading in our aprons for cowboy boots and a hat,” Witt laughed.