Frisch's Big Boy 9399 Florida Ave — Old Tampa Photos Home

Frisch's Big Boy, 9399 Florida Ave, Tampa

Frisch's Big Boy 9399 Florida Ave. Circa 1963. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.

Frisch's Big Boy, a prominent restaurant chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio, expanded into Florida during the mid-20th century. Tampa’s original Frisch’s at 9515 N Florida Ave opened in 1956. The chain's popularity skyrocketed, and a few years later, it was looking to expand. They built a store on South Dale Mabry and soon had to enlarge it from 38 to 82 seats. In the early 1960s, management hired a California architect who designed a new store for the 9399 N Florida Ave location pictured above, which opened in 1963. The exterior design was 1960s modern, featuring an arrow-shaped roof. The interior had an eight-seat lunch counter, several cushy booths, a tile floor, and stone accents. Large windows bathed the interior with natural light.

The brand was known for its quality, and the star of the show was the Frisch’s Big Boy hamburger. They baked their own pastries, and all food staples were prepared in the commissary next to the Florida Ave restaurant. The special secret sauce on Frisch’s hamburgers was shipped from a manufacturer to each store to ensure quality and keep the secret safe.

There were several popular locations in Tampa. This one became even more popular when Floridland Mall opened next door. The 56th St location in Temple Terrace was a go-to hangout for King High students, and the downtown spot in the Madison Building fed hungry office workers.

Records indicate that the N Florida store closed around 1991, and by 1993, the location had become the Pine Grove Family Restaurant. Pine Grove also developed a claim-to-fame burger with the secret sauce originally served at the Goody-Goody diner. In 2007, restaurant owner Greg Alexopoulos approached Michael Wheeler, the last owner of the defunct Goody-Goody and frequent Pine Grove customer, about buying the rights to the sauce to use on the house burgers. They signed a contract to recreate the popular POX burger and immediately saw a surge of customers hoping to sink their teeth into the legendary sandwich again. Pine Grove closed around 2009, and by 2011, Forest Hills Diner took the spot, calling itself the “Home of the Goody-Goody hamburgers.” They closed in 2013. In 2014, construction began on the used car lot okcarz, which remains there today.

Frisch's sold its Florida operations to Big Boy Restaurants International in 2001. Following the sale, Frisch's ceased operations in Florida, and the restaurants were either rebranded or closed. Frisch's Big Boy no longer has a presence in Florida.

okcarz- 9399 Florida Ave 2024. © Chip Weiner

Frisch's Big Boy interior, 9399 Florida Ave. Circa 1963. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.

Menu, Frisch's Big Boy (1959). Florida Restaurant Menu Collection. 1959. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.

Frisch's Big Boy entrance, Madison Building. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.

Madison Building, NE corner of Florida Ave and Madison St. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.