Labor Day weekend 2025 we stopped here for lunch. It has been a while since we patronized a Big Boy restaurant. Our lunch was placed to go since we had our pup with us and there is no outside seating at this location. Our wait time was no longer than if we had dined inside and our lunch was really good and hot. The floor was bit messy perhaps because it was the lunch hour so who knows. read more

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Service was quick and the staff was very nice. Traditional Big Boy atmosphere and nice and clean. I enjoyed the fish-&-chips with a bowl of the chicken tortilla soup. It was all very good. read more

Service was horrible. The girls were more involved in talking with each other than waiting on customers. There was no body there but we had to wait until they got done talking before we were seated. Food was okay. Again waiting 10 minutes to get the bill she still did come my husband finally went up to the cashier and asked for the bill. It wasn't busy the waitress didn't care. Use to like big boys however I will not return or give them my business read more

I go to Big Boy exclusively because I can still get a large slice of pie for $3.49. In all the years of exploitative "inflation," the price of the pie has only gone up .50, and it beats the pants off the overpriced Sysco deserts at other chains. But this review is for the fish sandwich at this location. I didn't think I would be able to eat it all, but it was so delicious I left no trace and got my pie to go. Fries left a LOT to be desired, either old or overcooked, but I'm not docking stars for that. Service was great and restaurant was clean even with the weather being dragged in by all us patrons. read more

the server was not wearing a bra and had nipple piercings, the food was cold and the chicken was still pink, she didnt bring sauces for the appetizer until after she brought all the food out, she also argued back with us about how the food was not cold which it was. read more

Wife and I stopped in hoping for a big boy salad bar but that's extinct. Walked to men's bathroom door was locked. I waited a couple minutes and a young man, red haired ponytail, come walking out with a bucket of cleaning supplies. I walked in noticed nothing was clean, toilet seat itself looked like pooh was on it so I decided to just wash my hands... no paper towel to dry hands, empty. Dude with red hair, did you just go stand in there? Ordered our food which was good, no complaints at all and had a great waitress. I told her about the bathroom she later stated she went and put paper towel in the men's bathroom. In the mean time young red headed ponytail dude was acting like he was sweeping the floor in front of patrons, problem is he was leaving everything on the floor he finally disappeared. Take a look at the cleanliness under the table we were seated at. I am now left to wonder what the kitchen looks like. Will not return based on this alone. I task the owner(s) of this Big Boy in Traverse City what they are paying red hair ponytail dude to do besides turn away customers but more importantly what is your on site manager being paid for? He was there overseeing nothing. This was on Sunday the 5th of March around 1500 hrs. read more

Big Boy - Table we were seated at to eat. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Thank you BIG BOY for always coming through when I visit ! This is a great childhood memory for me and I love my slim Jim no MEAT;) it was good both times in my one week visit ! read more

Big Boy - Slim Jim ( no meat ) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Great family restaurant. Love that my salads are served with hot and fresh grilled chicken. Nice host. read more

Big Boy - Chicken Caesar Salad - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Good food! Great service! Best prices! You can't beat a Big Boy senior breakfast served before 11 am Mon- Fri. Enough to eat and well worth a stop . read more

Humble place. Terrific variety menu and fun overall time. It even has its local funko pops and iconic story.

Food was cold, omelette had an unusual smell, hash browns were raw and onions in omelette were uncooked. Would not recommend.

I have lived in Michigan all my life and have never been to one. The two in GR closed down so I didn't get to try those before I moved out to GR. We were waiting for our hotel room to open at the Great Wolf Lodge across the street. We chose this place on a whim since we had 8 people with us. We were seated shortly and had the most wonderful waitress. Everyone was so friendly. Vast menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Something for everyone on the menu from pasta, hamburgers, meatloaf, seafood. Loved the simplicity and the fast service. They have a lunch buffet which is unlimited soup and salad for a low price. We will definitely stop by again when we are in TC. read more

I go to the Traverse City Big Boy to get my favorite, the Belgian Waffle with strawberries & whipped cream. The waffle is always cooked perfect served with sliced fresh strawberries & lots of whipped cream, yum! read more

Big Boy - Belgian Waffle w/fresh strawberries & lotsa whipped cream. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Holy. Cow. I've been here a couple of times since my last review, and I wanted to make sure that adding a star was the right decision. Holy hell, is it ever?! The service quality has increased tenfold. I'm not sure if that's because I've had different servers that last few times, or what, but I've been really, really impressed. ALSO! They've gone COMPLETELY smoke free, and I couldn't be happier. Furthermore, they are presently offering the most amazing special I have ever encountered. Picture this: + 2 eggs, prepared to your specifications + Hash browns + Sausage and/or bacon + Toast or pancakes + A drink (soda, tea or coffee) How much? $3.99! YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT! I mean, come on! When you think about it, the average soda in a chain restaurants costs $2.19 including tax! WHAT A FREAKING DEAL. Anyway, the TC Big Boy has made some significant improvements, and they absolutely have won me back. =] read more

I had a brunch here consisting of the Big Boy Classic Combo. It was my first time here, we don't have this in Las Vegas where I live so I made it a point on my trip here to try it. It was a nicer and more filled version of a Big Mac from McDonalds. I barely scanned the menu since I was half dead from hunger and only later learned there was a Rueben on the menu. The burger was good and I felt full, but I'd be lying if there wasnt a twinge of buyers remorse when I think of the Rueben (Fucking love those sandwiches) Anywhoo shits good try it and tip your waitress good. Don't be a rub and tip less than 20%. read more

Big Boy - Big Boy Classic - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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I would give less stars if I could. My wife's fish and chips were burnt and the fish was shriveled up inside. From my past experience it looks like the fryer oil hasn't been changed. The kitchen is open and you can see the cooks; all of them bearded and not wearing face nets or hats. Our waiter was scruffy looking with a minimum vocabulary. The unisex toilets were filthy...i won't go into detail here. Look, I don't expect Big Boys to be a fine dining restaurant, however I expect the basic hygiene; service and edible food. This is not the Big Boys of my youth or even of a few years ago. ABSOLUTELY BAD! read more

I have Celiac, it isn't a lifestyle choice, it is a necessity. To be given a sigh and dirty look from our waitress when I ordered an omelette without toast was rude an unnecessary. Then we waited forever for our food and then our check. We finally had to ask for it at the counter. Not a good experience. read more

I had the pleasure of be served a delicious breakfast. All the employees work very hard! Wish I could give it 6 stars

You kind of know what to expect at a Big Boy so no need to explain. The restaurant is clean. The waitstaff is always extremely nice and friendly! It seems that they work as a team and always make me feel welcome. The breakfast buffet is yummy and the regular menu is always prepared well and quickly. It's definitely one of the best Big Boys in northern Michigan. read more

I probably shouldn't generalize all Big Boy restaurants and write bad review for this one, but I'm going to. My dad is a huge fan and has brought me here multiple times, but I really really don't enjoy coming. I've had hair in my food multiple times, with my food being average and on the greasy side. But you get what you pay for I guess, so eat here at your own risk. read more

I love big boys but my last two visits service has been slow and in one case rude. Also there was stuff floating and covering the inside of my coffee cup. I told my server and she didn't even say sorry but she did get a clean cup. Also my silverware was dirty. Food quality was good but by that point I was grossed out with the cleanliness of the dishes. read more

Perfect place to grab a meal anytime of the day. I noticed the best meals come at night, along with free entertainment from the staff and customers! This Big Boy has the Impossible burger that is 100% plant based, and gives you all the good feels of a diner burger. The staff is so friendly and the food is good. You can't go wrong! read more

Big Boy - 100% Plant based Impossible Burger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Service was terrible - server forgot to place order, figured it out 25 minutes after taking the order. Took an additional 20 minutes to get the order to the table, and when it came, one order was cold, another had burned toast, and the third (a special order) was wrong and had half the bacon advertised on the menu. We returned the special order - and the server offered to put the order in again - but honestly, after 45 minutes waiting for food, it was a moot point. They took the special order off the bill, and the Assistant Manager came over to the table and apologized but put the blame on a young staff. This didn't have anything to do with a young staff - just a restaurant that couldn't handle a crowd. I'd think twice about attending this restaurant when they have the possibility of being busy. I think they'd be fine if there were only one or two customers in the place. read more

My hometown got rid of the Big Boy restaurant. Visiting this location on Vacation and after a day at the Traverse City fair. The dining area was clean. The layout of the restaurant was identical and brought back good memories of dinner at my hometown location. The waitress was friendly and kind for providing our table with its own pot of coffee! Thank you! read more

Horrible place to eat, bad food poor service never again!!! Food took along time to get (over an hour) never got refills on drinks, and are order was messed up. read more

This place is very good. It reminds me of iHop but with better burgers! The staff was very nice and the prices were reasonable. Family friendly or a nice place to hit solo after a movie or for a quick breakfast. read more

I like this location. It's clean. The food is good and the staff is friendly. Only weird thing is that they actually count your onion rings to make sure they didn't give you too many. A half order is always 8. Funny, but definitely not a deal-breaker. read more

This awesome place had a hard working server and the food was amazingly delicious. recommend the buffalo Mac and cheese

we actually quit going here several years ago...because the help was so incredibly rude..we waited forever for a table, then the rude waiter told us we were "lucky" we didn't wait longer...and the food was horrible. We didn't go back for years. Well...we went back this Spring and WOW! It has really changed! The wait staff was wonderful! All smling and professional. The food was GREAT! Very good prices. Not fancy food...but good food as you would expect from a good Big Boy. Now we go about once a week...and we take our grand kids. If you are looking for a nice...family friendly place to eat...where you will feel welcome with children...and we have a family member in a wheelchair...which is never a problem for the competent staff...come on in to Big Boy! The Breakfast Bar is well stocked....the menu is varied...the food is good...I am happy...the kids are happy...very nice! read more

The cashier was busy counting the pennies in a bowl and couldn't seat us as we stood at the front of the room. No acknowledgement that we were even there. We waited patiently for 8 minutes before she did her job and seated us. Coffee is ridiculously expensive, no French vanilla creamer. Our server Sarah was very good. Food quality was marginal at best. Store needs remodeling. It's old, dated and dirty. Won't return. read more

Always good food, friendly staff, busy atmosphere on Sunday mornings. My food was brought right away even though the place was packed. The wait staff is always attentive and helpful. The buffet is a bit pricey, but tou can order plenty of food off the menu that will fill you up just the same. I often come on Sundays and will continue coming back. read more

Always love going to this Big Boy. Kind, great service...(I LOVE Cheryl!!!)..fresh, delicious salad bar, and soup. Always cut kids and little couples dining too. The newspaper (Det. Free Press) is a bonus too! Thanks BB!! Keep up the good work...oh..and Thank You kitchen staff for special grilling my Sammie! read more

on no think again... i looked at the seafood bar sad excuse for seafood.. satdown and ordreed coffee. it was brought to me in a carafe that hand coffee build up and either someones left over syrup or a bugger.... the waitress says we wash them weekly on friday. oh no..i hope they wash there plates between guests. i chose not to eat there . read more

When ever I have went there the food is Super good and it's not badly priced, but the waiting staff is horrible! They check on you once and always seem like they would rather talk to each other than wait on their customers. read more