Tall Boy – The Name That Was Lost to Time

As the story goes, in 1981, while a small bar was taking shape in southeast Boca Raton, right along the tracks, the freight trains rolling behind it were louder, longer, and taller than ever before. Some of the old heads working out back on the rail lines had come from out west after the legendary Big Boy locomotives were retired. They had spent years with Union Pacific and Southern Pacific, running steam engines built for another era.

Now, they were part of the next generation of freight—towering double-stack cargo containers, nicknamed “Tall Boys,” a new innovation in rail transport reshaping the skyline of the rails.

A few of those workers would stop by after their shifts, bringing beers to share with the owner, Rose, as she and her family hammered away at her dream. They’d swap stories about the rails, the weight they carried, and what they left behind. And in one of those hangouts, someone looked out back and said:

“Those Tall Boys are changing everything.”

No one remembers who said it first, or who was really listening—but the name stuck. The bar was built, the workers became the first regulars, and when the doors finally opened, the sign out front read: Tall Boy.

But not long after, Pabst Blue Ribbon—who held a trademark on the phrase “Tall Boy” for their 16oz cans—sent a cease and desist letter.

After pouring everything into getting the bar open, Rose wasn’t about to burn what little she had left on a legal fight. Instead, she leaned into the history of the train station next door. She rebranded as [TEMPORARILY REDACTED UNTIL OPENING], inspired by the old Boca depot’s role as a signal to slow down, a place where travelers and workers crossed paths—and a nod to the old saying [TEMPORARILY REDACTED UNTIL OPENING].

But now, after more than 40 years, Pabst no longer holds the trademark.

The name that was lost is finally back where it belongs.

Welcome to Tall Boy.

Same bar. Same history. Now with the name it was always meant to have.