Big John Steak & Onion
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast Food Restaurants[1] |
| Founded | 1963/1973 |
| Founder | John E. Klobucar |
| Headquarters | , USA |
Number of locations | 16 |
Area served | Mid Michigan |
Key people | John D. Klobucar[1] |
| Products | submarine sandwiches |
Number of employees | 75[1] |
| Website | www |
Big John Steak & Onion, aka BJs & Onion or Steak and Onion[2] and formerly Slick-Chick, Inc., is a regional sub sandwich chain.[1] The name came from a nickname that the founder, John E. Klobucar, had received from his friends. The chain is considered a restaurant icon of the Flint Area.[3]
History[edit]
John E. Klobucar opened Flint, Michigan's first Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1963, the first outside of the Detroit area.[3][4] He incorporated his business on August 16, 1967 as Slick-Chick, Inc.[5] A decade later in 1973, Klobucar started Big John Steak and Onion,[3][4] the first restaurant to serve submarine sandwiches in the Flint Area.[3] The first location was opened on Dort Highway, near Court Street, and is still operating there. The original menu was the Steak and Onion plus 2 other subs and a Koegel hot dog.[6] His brother Joseph "Joe" Klobucher opened Big John Chicken & Sandwich Factory franchise where he lived in Caro in 1973.[3][6] On September 16, 1975, Slick-Chick changed its name to Big John Steak & Onion, Inc.[7] Klobucar later opened a KFC in Owosso, but sold the Flint location.
The restaurant grew into a chain of 15 stores across Mid-Michigan by May 2011, when Klobucar died.[3] Then Joe Klobucar took over as Chairman/President/CEO.[6]
Menu[edit]
- steak and onion sandwich, for which it is best known for[6]
- Red Sauce, a cocktail sauce with a sweet/hot taste, its recipe is credited to John Kish, owner of Uncle Bob's Diner, a well known former Downtown Flint restaurant.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "Big John Steak & Onion Incorporated". Manta.com. Manta Media Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ^ Assumed Names: Steak and Onion Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. State of Michigan. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Confer, Karen (May 12, 2011). "Founder of Flint restaurant Big John Steak and Onion dies". The Flint Journal. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
- ^ a b Hillaker, Allison (2011-05-13). "The founder of 'Big Johns Steak and Onion' has died". NBC25. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
- ^ Articles of Incorporation of Slick-Chick, Inc. State of Michigan. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Dennison, Cheryl (September 3, 2019). "A Flint Tradition Since 1972 Big John Steak & Onion". My City Magazine. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
- ^ Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of Slick-Chick, Inc. State of Michigan. Retrieved August 16, 2013.