Alex Schoenbaum

Alex Schoenbaum. . , Alex Schoenbaum became one of the nation's foremost restaurateurs by building a chain of Shoney's Big Boy restaurants that started on this site in 1947 and grew to 1900 restaurants within four decades. The original restaurant was the Parkette Drive-In. It opened to throngs of residents flocking to be served double-deck Big Boy hamburgers by smiling carhops in the windows of their big American "Shoney-shine" cars. A visionary, Schoenbaum recognized the interest in new "fast" food and the growth potential. In 1951, Schoenbaum enlisted Bob Wian, of Bob's Big Boy of California and David Frisch of Frisch's Big Boy of Ohio to incorporate the Big Boy name with concept and then divided the country into franchised territories. The name Shoney's was soon chosen by a write-in contest; the winner being awarded a new Cadillac., Due to his determination, pioneering spirit and his credo to "Give the most of the best for the least," Shoney's sit down "coffee shops" proliferated throughout the southeastern United States. By 1995, the chain grossed more than 1 billion dollars annually., Success was hard won for Schoenbaum. The family moved from poverty in Virginia to Huntington in the 1920s. Hard work, charm and a forceful personality won him a football scholarship to Ohio State University where he earned the esteemed All American Football award. While building his restaurant empire in Charleston he inspired others to grow both within the company and in civic and charitable endeavors in the city and country. His drive to be a business success was only equalled by his desire and generosity to help those less fortunate than him. His charitable legacy can be seen throughout the state and the nation. Shoney's and Big Boy are now considered American icons, reflections of post World War II's optimism and prosperity. This monument evokes the architecture of the second Parkette restaurant, demolished in 1974.