Frisch's

Frisch's is a regional American restaurant brand that originated in Cincinnati, Ohio, and became one of the longest-running regional operators in the Big Boy restaurant system. Its modern history began in 1939, when David Frisch opened the Mainliner in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cincinnati. The restaurant was designed as a year-round drive-in and was named after a passenger aircraft serving nearby Lunken Airport. Frisch built on an earlier family restaurant tradition: his father, Samuel Frisch, had operated cafés in Cincinnati beginning in the early twentieth century, and David had previously run his own Frisch's Café before financial difficulties forced its closure. After visiting one of Bob Wian's Big Boy restaurants in California shortly after World War II, David Frisch adapted the double-deck hamburger concept for his own operation. He reached a licensing agreement with Wian in 1947, making Frisch's the first Big Boy franchisee. The arrangement covered a territory centered on Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana and gave Frisch's unusual independence within the broader Big Boy system. The chain used its own East Coast Big Boy character, menu variations, restaurant designs, and marketing while retaining the recognizable double-deck hamburger identity. Frisch's and its franchisees expanded rapidly during the postwar drive-in era, and by the early 1960s the system included more than 150 restaurants operated by Frisch's and affiliated franchisees. The brand became especially influential within the Big Boy network. It introduced or popularized menu items such as the Brawny Lad chopped-sirloin sandwich, the Swiss Miss sandwich, and the Filet de Sole fish sandwich. Its use of the word “platter” for entrée meals also spread to other Big Boy operators. Frisch's tartar sauce, produced for the company by Food Specialties since the 1940s and sold in grocery stores since 1960, became one of its best-known packaged and restaurant products. The chain's regional strength also made it a significant competitor in Cincinnati; McDonald's introduced its Filet-O-Fish in the market in 1963 during a campaign regarded locally as a response to Frisch's seafood offering. Frisch's maintained and subfranchised Big Boy operations in several nearby markets, including Fort Wayne through Azar's, Cleveland through Manners, northwest Ohio through the Bennett family, and parts of the Ohio Valley through Elby's. Territorial disagreements and litigation contributed to the departure of Elby's and Shoney's from the Big Boy system in the 1980s. In 2001, after the national Big Boy business entered bankruptcy and was acquired by Robert Liggett, Frisch's sold rights in several distant territories and received perpetual ownership of the Big Boy trademark in its core territory. This separated Frisch's from the national operator while preserving its ability to use the Big Boy name in Indiana, Kentucky, most of Ohio, and parts of Tennessee. For most of its existence, Frisch's remained family controlled. Ownership and leadership passed from David Frisch to his son-in-law Jack C. Maier and later to grandson Craig F. Maier. The company also operated Golden Corral franchise restaurants for a period, selling that business in 2012. In 2015, an affiliate of Atlanta-based NRD Partners, associated with Aziz Hashim, acquired Frisch's for approximately $175 million. The transaction ended the family's controlling ownership and took the company private. Jason Vaughn became chief executive in 2016, and later leadership changes coincided with a strategy of closures, franchising, and attempted operational restructuring. NRD's 2015 sale-leaseback of 74 restaurant properties created a substantial long-term lease burden. Frisch's subsequently faced rising food, labor, energy, and occupancy costs, as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It closed or reduced operations at numerous restaurants in 2020 and introduced temporary “Big Boy's Market” grocery sections at many locations. Further closures followed in 2023 and 2024. Landlord eviction proceedings over unpaid rent accelerated the contraction, reducing the system from approximately 95 restaurants to 31 within four months during 2024, according to court and press reports. In November 2024, senior managers led by Don Short and Cheryl White acquired remaining locations and brand rights from NRD. The continuing business is primarily a smaller, franchise-oriented regional chain serving Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, with the historic Frisch's identity still centered on Big Boy hamburgers, breakfast, classic drive-in heritage, and local Cincinnati associations. Frisch's Big Boy is an American restaurant chain primarily located in the Midwest, known for its Big Boy burgers and breakfast menu.

Frisch's grew from the Cincinnati restaurant activities of the Frisch family. Samuel Frisch opened a café in Cincinnati in 1905 and later established Frisch's Stag Lunch in Norwood. After Samuel's death in 1923, his sons continued the business, with David Frisch taking a leading role. David sold his interest in the family operation in 1932 and opened Frisch's Café. Financial problems caused that café and a second location to close in 1938, but local businessman Fred Cornuelle helped David establish a new restaurant. The Mainliner opened on Wooster Pike in Cincinnati's Fairfax neighborhood in 1939. It was designed as a year-round drive-in and took its name from a passenger airplane serving nearby Lunken Airport. David expanded the concept during the 1940s, including a restaurant designed with an appearance inspired by George Washington's Mount Vernon. The business encountered Bob Wian's Big Boy hamburger shortly after World War II. Wian was seeking authorized operators outside California in order to strengthen protection for the Big Boy name. The resulting agreement made Frisch's the first Big Boy franchisee. Frisch's began selling the Big Boy hamburger in 1946 and opened its first dedicated Frisch's Big Boy Drive-In in 1947. The Frisch's system expanded rapidly in the postwar drive-in era. David opened additional restaurants and developed a territory covering the Cincinnati region and surrounding areas of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The company also granted subfranchises to operators including Azar's in Fort Wayne, Manners in the Cleveland market, the Bennett family in northwest Ohio, and Elby's in the Ohio Valley. By 1961, Frisch's and its affiliated operators had more than 150 drive-ins. Frisch's retained considerable independence from other Big Boy operators, including a distinct East Coast Big Boy character with different hair, clothing, and pose. The company also developed menu items that became associated with the wider Big Boy system, including the Brawny Lad, Swiss Miss, and Filet de Sole sandwiches. Frisch's regional influence extended beyond its restaurants. Its tartar sauce was produced by Food Specialties beginning in the 1940s and later sold in local supermarkets. In Cincinnati, McDonald's launched the Filet-O-Fish in 1963 in a promotion that local reporting characterized as competition with Frisch's seafood sandwich. Several other Big Boy franchisees eventually left the system after disputes over territories, royalties, and non-Big Boy operations. Shoney's and Elby's departed in 1984 following extended litigation, while Eat'n Park did not renew its franchise in 1975 and continued independently. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the national Big Boy business entered bankruptcy. Frisch's declined an opportunity to purchase the national chain, which was instead acquired by Robert Liggett. In 2001, Frisch's transferred rights in several territories, including Florida, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, to Liggett's renamed Big Boy Restaurants International. In return, Frisch's obtained perpetual ownership of the Big Boy trademark in its remaining territory. The agreement preserved Frisch's independent regional identity and removed longstanding uncertainty over its ability to continue using the name. Frisch's remained family controlled until 2015. David Frisch's descendants, including Jack C. Maier and grandson Craig F. Maier, led the company across successive generations. Frisch's also operated Golden Corral franchise restaurants, but it closed some underperforming units in 2011 and sold its remaining Golden Corral restaurants in 2012. In August 2015, an affiliate of NRD Partners acquired Frisch's for approximately $175 million. The company ceased being publicly traded in September of that year. Craig Maier and his sister Karen Maier retired from corporate roles, although they continued operating individual restaurants as franchisees. NRD planned to expand the brand in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee, but the Tennessee expansion did not materialize. In 2015, NRD also entered a sale-leaseback covering 74 properties that had previously been owned by Frisch's. The arrangement provided capital but created long-term rent obligations and escalating occupancy costs. Jason Vaughn became chief executive in 2016. In 2017, Frisch's introduced a redesigned Big Boy statue based more closely on the West Coast character, while retaining historical statues at many restaurants. The chain returned to downtown Cincinnati in 2018 with a restaurant in Carew Tower, but that location closed in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused additional permanent closures and operating reductions. Frisch's temporarily added Big Boy's Market sections to sell basic groceries. Beginning in 2023, the company accelerated closures and converted some corporate restaurants to franchises, citing economic conditions and inflation. In 2024, lease expirations, operating losses, and unpaid rent triggered a major contraction. Landlords initiated eviction proceedings across Ohio and Kentucky, and researchers linked the company's distress in part to the financial burden of the 2015 sale-leaseback. The chain declined from roughly 95 restaurants to 31 within four months. On November 18, 2024, senior managers led by Don Short and Cheryl White acquired remaining locations and Frisch's brand rights from NRD. Frisch's thereafter operated as a much smaller, predominantly franchise-based regional restaurant system, with its principal presence in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

• 2024

  Evictions reduce the chain to 31 locations

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  Lease disputes and unpaid rent lead to the loss of approximately 64 locations within four months.

• 2024

  Management group acquires remaining brand rights

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  Senior managers led by Don Short and Cheryl White acquire remaining restaurants and Frisch's branding rights from NRD.

• 2020

  Pandemic closures and Big Boy's Market

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  COVID-19 leads to permanent closures and reduced operations, while the company adds grocery sections at many restaurants.

• 2017

  Frisch's introduces a redesigned Big Boy statue

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  The chain unveils a statue modeled more closely on the West Coast Big Boy design while historical Frisch's statues remain at many locations.

• 2015

  NRD Partners acquires Frisch's

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition ends family control, takes the company private, and introduces a sale-leaseback involving 74 restaurant properties.

• 2001

  Frisch's secures perpetual Big Boy rights in its core territory

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  Following the national Big Boy bankruptcy, Frisch's transfers several distant territories and receives perpetual trademark rights in its remaining region.

• 1961

  The affiliated system exceeds 150 drive-ins

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  Frisch's and its franchisees reach more than 150 drive-in restaurants during the postwar expansion period.

• 1947

  Frisch's becomes the first Big Boy franchisee

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  David Frisch signs a licensing agreement with Bob Wian and opens the first Frisch's Big Boy Drive-In.

• 1946

  Frisch's begins selling the Big Boy hamburger

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  Frisch's starts serving a regional version of Bob Wian's double-deck hamburger concept.

• 1939

  The Mainliner opens

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  David Frisch opens the Mainliner in Cincinnati's Fairfax neighborhood, creating the direct foundation of the modern Frisch's brand.

• 1905

  Samuel Frisch opens a Cincinnati café

  [1]Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org

  The Frisch family enters the Cincinnati restaurant business, establishing the lineage from which the later Frisch's chain developed.

Regional family-oriented casual dining with classic drive-in heritage, value-focused American comfort food, breakfast, and a locally distinctive Big Boy identity.

• Hamburger · 1946

  Big Boy hamburger

  Frisch's signature double-deck hamburger, derived from Bob Wian's Big Boy concept and adapted for the Cincinnati-based chain. It is the central product associated with the brand's postwar expansion and its continuing trademark relationship with the Big Boy system.

• Chopped-sirloin sandwich · 1950

  Brawny Lad

  A Frisch's chopped-sirloin sandwich served on a rye bun. Introduced during the 1950s, it became one of the chain's distinctive menu creations and was later adopted by other Big Boy franchisees.

• Chopped-sirloin sandwich · 1970

  Swiss Miss

  A Frisch's chopped-sirloin sandwich variation served on rye. The product originated in the Frisch's system and became sufficiently associated with Big Boy menus that other franchisees later offered versions of it.

• Fish sandwich

  Filet de Sole

  Frisch's fish sandwich that became an important regional alternative to the chain's hamburgers. Its popularity contributed to Frisch's visibility in Cincinnati's seafood-sandwich market and helped inspire competition from larger quick-service chains.

• Sauce and packaged food · 1946

  Frisch's tartar sauce

  A branded tartar sauce served with Frisch's food and distributed through local grocery stores since 1960. Food Specialties has produced the sauce since 1946 and retains ownership of the recipe, while Frisch's owns or controls the brand identity used in commerce.

• Retail grocery offering · 2020

  Big Boy's Market

  Temporary grocery sections introduced at many Frisch's restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. They sold basic household and food necessities while restaurant customers faced shortages and altered shopping patterns.

• 2020Big Boy's Market

  United States

  During the pandemic, Frisch's converted space at many restaurants into small grocery sections offering essential goods.

  Outcome. The initiative addressed short-term customer demand but was not described as a permanent business line.

  Source
• 2017Big Boy statue redesign

  Ohio · Kentucky · Indiana

  Frisch's introduced a redesigned outdoor Big Boy statue resembling the West Coast character, with pompadour hair, striped overalls, and modern footwear. The redesign was used alongside older Frisch's statues and was intended to refresh the chain's visual identity.

  Outcome. The updated statue was installed at Great American Ball Park and at the Dry Ridge, Kentucky, restaurant, while legacy statues remained part of the brand's restaurant heritage.

  Source

• 2024

  Restructure through closures and franchisingStrategy

  Background

  Frisch's faced inflation, operating losses, lease expirations, and rising rent obligations.

  Action taken

  The company closed additional restaurants, converted some corporate locations to franchises, and sought to reduce its operating footprint.

  Aftermath

  Eviction actions later reduced the system from roughly 95 restaurants to 31 within four months.

  Source

• 2024

  Sell remaining locations and brand rights to senior managersM&A

  Background

  Landlord actions and restaurant closures left the NRD-owned chain substantially smaller.

  Action taken

  A management group led by Don Short and Cheryl White acquired remaining locations and Frisch's branding rights, including rights associated with the Big Boy name.

  Aftermath

  The brand continued under a smaller structure dominated by franchise operations, while trademark issues with Big Boy Restaurant Group remained part of the post-restructuring environment.

  Source

• 2015

  Sell the company to NRD PartnersM&A

  Background

  After decades of family ownership, Frisch's was acquired by an Atlanta-based private-equity affiliate.

  Action taken

  NRD Partners acquired outstanding Frisch's shares and took the company private.

  Aftermath

  Family executives retired from corporate roles, and NRD pursued expansion, franchising, and real-estate restructuring.

  Acquisition price. Approximately $175 million (2015)

  Source

• 2015

  Enter a sale-leaseback for restaurant propertiesStrategy

  Background

  NRD sought capital and liquidity after acquiring the restaurant chain.

  Action taken

  Frisch's sold 74 of its 121 owned locations and leased them back.

  Aftermath

  The transaction generated capital but imposed escalating lease obligations that later became a major factor in the chain's financial distress and restaurant closures.

  Sale-leaseback proceeds. $74 million (2015)

  Source

• 2013

  Switch fountain beverage supplier from Coca-Cola to PepsiStrategy

  Background

  Frisch's sought improved supplier economics and distribution terms.

  Action taken

  The chain replaced Coca-Cola products with Pepsi products in its restaurants.

  Aftermath

  Some customers objected to losing the chain's familiar cherry and vanilla Coca-Cola drinks. Coca-Cola products returned in 2018.

  Source

• 2001

  Separate Frisch's territorial rights from the national Big Boy operatorStrategy

  Background

  The national Big Boy business had entered bankruptcy, creating uncertainty over Frisch's licensing rights and the future of the regional chain.

  Action taken

  Frisch's transferred rights in several distant states to Big Boy Restaurants International and secured perpetual ownership of the Big Boy mark in its core territory.

  Aftermath

  Frisch's continued as an independent regional Big Boy operator rather than becoming part of the reorganized national company.

  Territory-rights payment. $1.2 million (2001)

  Source

1. 1Frisch'sen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Frisch's official websitefrischs.com