Residents in Downey are reeling after a high speed car accident damaged a beloved Bob’s Big Boy statue last month. Security camera footage shared on social media by the restaurant shows a car slamming into a fire hydrant in front of the diner and causing an explosion. The Downey Police Department said the driver suffered moderate injuries .
A post shared by Bob's Big Boy (@bobsbigboybroiler) Marisol Gutierrez has worked at Bob’s for about three years. She said the statue isn’t just another corporate mascot; people have actually proposed in front of the big guy at the mid-century, Googie- style diner on Firestone Boulevard. Longtime fans weren’t happy to see him mangled, with part of his head lopped off.
For now, the restaurant has put a big hat on Bob's to cover up the damage. “One person actually started crying. People say ‘oh no!’ or ‘Bring Bob’s back.
Or ‘Yes, he’s still standing!’ It really gets to people because people have been coming here for years,” Gutierrez told LAist. She said the restaurant is still waiting on a police report and not sure if the driver had insurance. But the plan is to try their best to restore the statue.
Original Big Boy statues can go for thousands of dollars so they’re working to draw attention to the accident and raise money through sales. Charles Phoenix, L.A.
cultural critic and so-called Ambassador of Americana, told LAist that the restaurant originally opened in 1958 as Harvey’s Broiler. “It immediately bec.
