Swiss Miss
A Big Boy classic that came from the Frisch’s side of the family. Melted Swiss cheese, shredded lettuce and tartar sauce on a toasted rye bun. Tartar sauce on a burger sounds odd, but it is a Frisch’s hallmark, and with nutty Swiss and rye bread it works surprisingly well.
The story
Big Boy was never one company. It grew through regional franchisees — Bob’s in California, Frisch’s in Cincinnati, Shoney’s in the South, Elias Brothers in Michigan — each licensed to run the name and the mascot in its own territory and each free to invent its own dishes. The Swiss Miss came from the Frisch’s side and spread outward from there, which is how a burger created by one franchisee in Ohio ended up on menus that had nothing else to do with it.
What’s inside
- beef patty
- Swiss cheese
- shredded lettuce
- tartar sauce
- toasted rye bun
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Swiss Miss yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef and cheese
Juicy Lucy from Supernatural - Shares beef and cheese
Michigan Olive Burger - Shares beef and cheese
The Glass Fromagerie - Shares beef and cheese
Skip Marooch's Chutney Burger
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Swiss Miss.- Quick · beef and cheese
SignatureGiant - Roadster Diner · beef and cheese
SignatureCheese-at-Heart - BurgerFi · beef and cheese
SignatureBurgerFi Cheeseburger - MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes · beef and cheese
SignatureMOOYAH Cheeseburger
More from Big Boy
About Big Boy
Bob Wian opened a small diner called Bob’s Pantry in Glendale, California, in 1936. A year later he invented a burger so tall it looked like a leaning tower, and when a chubby six-year-old named Richard Woodruff walked in, Wian greeted him with “Hello, Big Boy.” The name stuck, and the boy became one of America’s best-known restaurant mascots: pompadour, red-and-white checked overalls, burger held high.
About 50 Big Boy restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, Nevada and North Dakota, four Bob’s Big Boys in California, Frisch’s Big Boy in the Cincinnati area, and a separate Big Boy chain in Japan.
Not affiliated with Big Boy. Trademarks belong to their owners.