Frisch’s Big Boy is planning something in 2026 that it hasn’t done in more than a year: opening a restaurant.
The iconic Cincinnati chain is touting plans for a “refreshed space,” nearly two years after it shuttered dozens of locations in the region. The eatery at 494 Orphanage Road in Fort Wright was one of a wave of the closures in final months in 2024.
Ryan Heck of Kelle Construction said renovations are expected to be done in about four weeks. Workers have been at the site for about 10 weeks.
The diner chain currently boasts 31 locations throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, a footprint it downsized to after running into financial difficulties in late 2024. The company shuttered dozens of stores after its landlord sought to evict them from more than 50 locations.
In early 2024, Frisch’s had more than 80 locations in all three states. As recently as 2015, Frisch’s Big Boy had 121 locations when it was acquired by the Atlanta-based investment firm for $175 million.
Last year, Frisch’s spent months in court battling its former corporate sibling after its old landlord sought to reopen closed Frisch’s restaurants with Big Boy diners operated by Michigan-based Big Boy, a separate company. Frisch’s sued claiming it had exclusive rights to the Big Boy name in Greater Cincinnati and much of Ohio.
Michigan-based Big Boy opened Dolly’s Burgers and Shakes restaurants (named after Big Boy’s comic book girlfriend) for a few months before losing in court over the Big Boy trademark.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Frisch’s plans new Big Boy diner in NKY after years of closures
Reporting by Alexander Coolidge and Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alexander Coolidge and Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
