Well, this is kind of the story, but not the whole story.
The original BBD was actually the Hi-Lo Motel & Cafe in Weed, CA, which dates back to the 40’s, I believe.
That’s where the newspaper menus, the large portions, and the actual items on the menu came from.
The story goes that in the 90’s there was a divorce in the family that owned Hi-Lo and they split off and went down the road to Mount Shasta and started the first Black Bear Diner concept.