Bob's Big Boy - David Lynch's creative hideaway

“I used to go to Bob’s Big Boy restaurant just about every day from the mid seventies until the early eighties. I’d have a milk shake and sit and think. There’s a safety in thinking in a diner. You can have your coffee or your milk shake, and you can go off into strange dark areas, and always come back to the safety of the diner."

-David Lynch, from his book, Catching the Big Fish

Lynch’s Bob’s Big Boy of choice happened to be nestled in the comfortable Southern California burg of Burbank.

In the heart of the film industry, the diner's a throwback to a forgotten time that feels like it could exist anywhere in small-town America.

You know the place, and more importantly, you can imagine the feeling of being there. With its cushioned booths and curved bar, there’s a 1950s vibe that welcomes you into history and creativity. You can cozy up with some comfort food served by a wait staff who addresses you like an old friend. Built in 1949, it’s the oldest remaining Bob’s Big Boy in America.

Between the mid ‘70s and early ‘80s, David Lynch used to go there every day at 2:30 p.m. When he died, memorials popped up at the location because, for a period of time, it had served as a kind of second home for the visionary filmmaker.

Lynch loved his coffee and chocolate milkshakes. While he immersed himself in these predictable comforts, his mind wandered to odd and uniquely creative places.

It’s said that the idea for Dennis Hopper’s character in 1986’s Blue Velvet came to Lynch as he watched a man approaching the Bob’s Big Boy counter.

“Seeing him came a feeling,” Lynch said, “and that’s where Frank Booth came from.”

Strange that the idea for a violent drug dealer who kidnapped the family of lounge singer Dorothy Vallens developed in such a benign place.

As the film evolved, the diner continued to play a role in its creation. One day, Lynch invited actors Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern to join him at his favorite booth.

“I got a call that he wanted to meet me at Bob’s Big Boy to see if Kyle MacLachlan and I could get along or something,” Dern said. “It was like a chemistry lunch. And so the three of us had lunch at Bob’s Big Boy, and the rest is history. We ordered malts and French fries and David was doodling on napkins while Kyle was doodling with a knife into his ketchup.”

After the premiere of Lynch’s 1977 film Eraserhead, he hung out at the diner with friend and fellow unconventional director John Waters. Waters is said to be a huge fan of the film.

You can still visit Bob’s Big Boy and escape into the past. The building was hailed as an example of the coffee-shop style that surged in Los Angeles in the 1950s. The current owner restored it to “its past glory” in 1993.

You’ll immediately understand why the homey ambience fueled Lynch’s creativity and allowed him to mentally travel to dark places, knowing he would return to something safe and comfortable.

While Lynch enjoyed a milkshake, he could glance over at a booth where The Beatles sat during their 1965 tour of America, right after their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and their performance at Shea Stadium. The Fab Four requested Bob’s Big Boy because they wanted to enjoy a real American diner, and that’s undoubtedly what they experienced.

The chain’s website gives specific directions: “The table is the last booth on the right as one walks in, where the end of the windows facing out towards Riverside Drive stop.” If patrons still aren’t sure where to go, look for the small plaque marking the historic location.

Besides serving as a cozy get-away for Lynch and The Beatles, this location also boasts a cinematic history. It appeared in the 1995 crime drama Heat, starring Val Kilmer, Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino.

It's nice to know that nostalgic spots like Bob's Big Boy still exist. Walking in the front door, you feel like you're treading on ground where history happened, and maybe you can even let your mind wander to odd and creative places as you enjoy your chocolate milkshake or piping-hot cup of coffee.