By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Big Boy is moving over for bread, bagels, salads and soups.
Panera Bread is planning to move from downtown Bowling Green onto the former site of Big Boy on East Wooster Street.
Applications have been filed with the city engineer’s office for demolition of the Big Boy restaurant, and with the city planning office for a drive-thru at the new site.
A building permit request for a new Panera restaurant was approved earlier this month by the Wood County Building Inspection Office. The new building will have 4,413 square feet of space.
For 17 years, Panera has been serving downtown diners in Bowling Green. The move to East Wooster Street will give the restaurant better access to I-75 travelers, students on the BGSU campus, and ample parking.
The move will leave a big hole in the downtown, but Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mary Hinkelman was looking at the bright side.
“I don’t think it will stay empty long,” she said of the possibilities to fill the South Main storefront.
Floyd Craft, owner of the building housing Panera, said he had heard some rumblings about the restaurant moving. Over the years, the business has expressed its desire to have a drive-thru for customers.
“I haven’t heard anything official from them,” he said. And he suspects that the move won’t be very soon since a new restaurant will have to be constructed, and Panera renewed its lease two and a half years ago for the current site until 2021.
Craft agreed that filling the spot shouldn’t be difficult.
“Sooner or later, we’ll find someone,” he said. “I would like to get another good restaurant here.”
Craft said he isn’t as worried about the impact of the move on himself – but more so on the overall health of the downtown.
“I’m more concerned about them leaving for the traffic they pull downtown,” he said, noting the number of customers who eat at Panera then do some shopping at other downtown stores. “That’s my biggest concern.”
The current Panera site at 139 S. Main St. is 5,000 square feet.
“They’ve been a good tenant. I’m sorry to see them leave,” Craft said.
The manager Tuesday morning at Panera downtown said she couldn’t answer questions about the move. The corporate office did not return a phone call or email request.
Meanwhile, after more than 40 years serving the classic Big Boys and strawberry pie at the Frisch’s at 1540 E. Wooster St., officials from that restaurant hope their loyal fans will continue to seek out Boy Boy specialties.
The East Wooster site, once a place popular with BGSU students especially for late night food, could not compete with drive-thru food from McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Waffle House, said Rob Armstrong, president of Bennett Enterprises, which operates Big Boy.
“We felt this was a good decision,” he said about the closure.
Armstrong is hoping customers just shift their business to the Big Boy at North Main Street, which will remain open.
“We’ve got a lot of loyal Big Boy customers,” he said. “We hope a lot of our customers find their way over there.”
