A Boise staple is thinking big on 70th anniversary. Celebrate with specials all weekend

One of Boise’s staple burger joints, Big Bun Drive-In , will be the place to be this weekend.

The reason? It is celebrating 70 years in the Treasure Valley, and doing so with a multiday celebration.

The festivities will kick off on Friday evening and continue until Sunday afternoon, with a live DJ, free milkshakes and gift cards all in the offing.

“We’re one of the first drive-in restaurants here in the valley,” Big Bun co-owner Tyler Kellogg told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview. “We just wanted to plan something big kind of as a way to give back to our loyal customers who have supported us all these years.”

Tyler and his wife, Joyce, have been involved with Big Bun since the early 2010s and have been sole owners of the establishment since 2022.

Here’s what to know about Big Bun’s 70th anniversary plans and when you should plan to show up.

Big Bun’s 70th Anniversary

All of this weekend’s events will be held at Big Bun’s sole location, at 5816 W. Overland Road .

Friday: Starting at 5 p.m., the first 50 customers will get a free 70th anniversary Big Bun T-shirt.

Saturday: Saturday is the primary day of celebration. Radio host Big J , who DJs for Payette-based station KQXR, better known as The X, will provide live entertainment throughout the day.

“We have an online order pickup spot right next to our main drive-thru,” Kellogg said. “He’s going to set up a DJ tent there, and he’s going to be playing music and interacting with the customers as they come through.”

But here’s where you’ll want to pay attention. From 2 to 4 p.m., every car will be given a $25 gift card to Big Bun — for use right then and there. You won’t leave hungry.

Kellogg said he’d loaded 200 gift cards, has 15 staffers working the shift, and is “planning on going through more cars than we ever have before,” so don’t be surprised if there’s a bit of a wait.

Sunday: Free 12-ounce milkshake of any flavor for everyone between noon and 2 p.m.

What to order once you get there

Not sure what you want to get when you arrive? You can check out the menu ahead of time, but this is what Kellogg recommends:

“For people just moving into the valley, our homemade finger steaks are a great option,” Kellogg said. “We take USDA Choice flank steak, trim off the fat, cut it into strips, marinate it for three to five days, and then batter and fry it in our homemade buttermilk batter.

“And then obviously any of our burgers, but we have a rare burger that’s a huckleberry blue cheese bacon burger. That’s a really good one. We get huckleberry pepper jelly locally made by a lady here. Add that with a burger patty and a Monterey jack. That’s marble with blue cheese, bacon, lettuce, and red onion.”