It’s the penultimate day of the year and the penultimate spot of the countdown. So, of course, we have the second-to-last spot to discuss as we prepare to say goodbye to 2025. And here comes number 2 on the Top 12 Countdown of 2025 to take home the silver medal, and it’s none other than Bob’s Burgers with “Grand Pre-Pre-Pre-Opening”.
This was one of the most anticipated episodes for the show if you’re a fan like yours truly. Mainly because it is the show’s 300th episode, which is a major milestone for Bob’s Burgers, but also because the premise of the episode is, of course, an origin story of how the restaurant came to be. It did not disappoint to kick off the show’s sixteenth and current season, despite being episode 299 overall and the following episode, “Til Death Do Us Art”, as the 300th episode overall, doing a switcharoo as we saw with Season 6. But man, oh man, this episode did not disappoint, giving us an origin story of the restaurant, a backstory of its first day opening its doors, and, of course, the same day Tina was born.
And all it took for the backstory to take place was Bob struggling to decide to raise the price by a dollar on the menu. Becoming a victim of inflation. A business decision that could change everything forever when having to make a move that Bob knows he can’t backtrack from. I mean, he could, but how things are going these days with the prices going up and items having to shrink because of the lack of inventory to meet the demand, it’s a move that Bob would either be the right decision to make or a decision that he regrets making. And that, along with the Belcher kids making an album for them to upload on the internet, would be the trigger to enter backstory mode.
Revealing where Bob and Linda used to live before moving into the building, along with what their previous jobs were before getting into the restaurant business. Bob, being a chef at a surf n’ turf restaurant, which was a nightmare for him. And Linda is a telemarketer for an insurance company. Both of them hated their previous jobs, but needed the money if they wanted to continue having a roof over their heads, along with investing in opening a restaurant. Especially with Linda spotting an empty building by the Wharf and suggesting that Bob use her money that she had saved up for a condo, much to Bob’s dismay. Mainly because he would have to come across Linda’s parents for what their daughter was suggesting. Mainly Gloria.
Not to mention, a few hurdles that they struggle to overcome. Getting Mr. Fischoeder’s approval is one thing; to be able to rent the building. The approval from the bank to open the restaurant, not so much. Their financial struggles prevented Bob and Linda from getting the building. Back to square one for a bit for Bob and Linda, once again, Linda suggests using her money to invest in the restaurant. Bob, of course, disagrees because he doesn’t want to drag Linda down with him if things go terribly wrong.
But that’s not going to stop Linda from telling Bob what to do with her savings. Ready to make a sacrifice for Bob to invest to help Bob achieve his dream of opening the restaurant. A true ride or die that Bob snagged up with his marriage. And Bob can’t get out of it but to go along and decide to take up Linda’s offer to use her money to rent the building that would soon become the restaurant and their home. So, if you want to know who is responsible for the restaurant coming to life, it’s Linda. One of two, to be exact, because Linda would also announce her pregnancy after feeling something off about her taste buds when trying out the butterscotch candies. So, if anything is responsible for how the restaurant came to be, it’s Linda sacrificing her savings and becoming pregnant with Tina.
We have our colorful cast of characters in the episode, aside from Mr. Fischoeder and Mr. Dowling earlier in the episode, you also have the likes of Teddy, fresh out of his nasty divorce with Denise, and Mort pre-toupee before wearing one on the day the restaurant opens for the first time, as expected, they would become the first set of customers on the restaurant’s opening day. Along with Edith and Harold, later in the episode on the day of the restaurant’s first opening, they never changed, but they’re the first to show up on opening day. And for Bob and Linda, primarily Bob, it all comes down to hoping for nothing to happen that could mess things up. Nothing wrong with first-day jitters. It’s normal to have that when attending a new school or job. So, the same should be the same for Bob once the doors are opened for the first time.
Too bad that Bob had to go through constant stress to the point where he had to endure diarrhea after diarrhea, to the point where he stained his clothes with vomit before ever reaching the grill. And if that’s not enough, Linda’s water decides to break, meaning that the baby is ready to come out. Talk about an eventful first day opening up shop, where you think that things will go smoothly despite the jitters, too bad that the universe, i.e., the scriptwriters, has other plans for the two on opening day of all days for this to happen.
But perspectives changed for Bob once he and Linda, in the backstory, arrived for Linda to give birth to Tina. And the moment Bob holds his newborn daughter in his hands is the moment that he should have a purpose in wanting to continue running the restaurant. Giving to the community and now, to provide for his family. And 13 years and two more children later, along with a lot of challenges in between that, the restaurant is up and running to close out the backstory. And that alone, along with the kids’ little performance of creating an album of their own, is more than enough for the show to make a drastic status quo change by upping the price by a dollar. The prices went up a dollar, like the burger of the day, now at $6.95 instead of $5.95, which is going to stick around with the current season of the show. Not going anywhere unless the inflation issue gets solved… who are kidding, the economy is going to crash, and our president is going to pretend that everything is fine. Which is not. Oh, you thought we would be done with the number two spot of the countdown? Oh no, we’re not done.
These sons of bitches decide to be sneaky with this episode. Because while the episode is solely focused on the origin of the restaurant, and also, the day Tina was born, it decided to focus on one side character with their origin story. Not Teddy meeting the Belchers. Not Mort with his toupee. But Speedo Guy. He got an origin story within the origin of Bob’s Burgers. Finding out that he was an attorney at the start of the backstory, and you want to guess what caused him to change occupation? Eating the burger at the restaurant. That alone, along with seeing the store next door, which holds a beach store at the time, and looking at his reflection. Causing him to become who he is now by ditching the suit and briefcase for a Speedo and a pair of roller skates. But other than that, a good episode to be a major milestone for the show. And also, having this be the start of the current season, with the long-awaited origin story behind the restaurant. A lot of lore stuff to take up from this, but other than that, it was a good episode. And yeah, the status quo changes with the price going up… might as well take it or leave it since it is here to stay. But what an episode to give a story of how it all began.
This wraps up the number 2 spot on the Top 12 Countdown of the year 2025. What do you think about this episode? Should it be higher, lower, or stay put on your list? Put it in the comments below. I already posted the honorable mentions list on my socials, so go over my Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads pages to take a look for yourself. Eleven down…only one to go. Which episode and series will be taking the number one spot? And I can already tell some of y’all already know what the episode and series are going to be to take the number one spot. Y’all really are not going to like it. People who followed me on this page…y’all already know where this is going for who will take the number one spot. Find and see sometime tomorrow. Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Threads, and BlueSky for updates and behind-the-scenes stuff. And y’all should know the drill by now…
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