Bob Evans Restaurants
Encyclopedia
Bob Evans Farms, Inc. is a food service, processing, and retail company based in Columbus
, Ohio
. The company is named after its founder, Bob Evans
(1918–2007). It operates two family dining restaurant chains in the United States
, Bob Evans Restaurants and Mimi's Cafe. Its food processing and retail enterprise products are manufactured and sold under the Bob Evans and Owens Country Sausage brand names.
diner
near the Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande, Ohio
(just north of Gallipolis, Ohio
) in 1953. The chain has grown to nearly 570 locations in 23 states, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic
, Midwestern, and upper Southern
states. All locations are corporately owned, not franchise
d.
The restaurant chain started after Bob Evans
kept hearing patrons at his truck stop say that they thought his sausage
was the best around. Bob slaughtered and packaged his own pork
sausage using a unique recipe, but did not have the manufacturing capacity to fill large orders. He made a business arrangement with his cousin Tim Evans who was then the owner of Evans Packing Co. to package the Bob Evans Sausage products at Tim's plant.
Tim Evans is retired and still maintains his residence near the original Bob Evans Restaurant in Rio Grande. Another relative, Dan Evans, served as CEO until his retirement in 2000. Bob Evans also continued to reside in Rio Grande until his death on June 21, 2007.
The company also offers pork products to the retail grocery market, as well as some other prepared food products to both the grocery and food service segments. The restaurant chain was started because local restaurants would not purchase the high-quality pork sausage the company produced, saying that customers would not pay extra for quality.
The primary theme is one of country living: "Breakfast
is served all day."
based Owens Country Sausage in 1987. The company branded its otherwise identical restaurants in Texas as Owens Restaurants due to trademark
issues. However, by January 2006, all Owens restaurants were closed.
The company also operated a Mexican
-themed restaurant called Cantina del Rio in the mid-1990s, a move which Bob Evans himself called "a disaster."
The Evans family controlled daily operations of the company until 2000 when Dan Evans (Bob's cousin) retired as CEO. After Dan's retirement, Stewart K. Owens (a former officer of the Owens Country Sausage company and later president of BOBE) assumed control of Bob Evans Farms Inc. as CEO. In 2001, he became Chairman of the Board
. Company profits faltered under Owens' tenure. In August 2005, after corporate profits had dropped in eight of the previous nine quarters, Owens announced his resignation. Officially, the cause of Owens' departure was "personal reasons" but many business analysts believed Owens' departure and Bob Evans disappointing results were more than a mere coincidence. After operating for several months under interim CEO Larry Corbin, the company hired Steven Davis, the former president of Long John Silver's
, as CEO in May 2006.
The Mimi's Cafe restaurant chain is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Bob Evans Farms, Inc., with 144 locations throughout the United States. The restaurants feature casual dining with a French
and New Orleans' flair. Guests dine in one of several themed rooms, such as the Garden, Café, Bistro, Winery or Patio.
Arthur J. Simms (who headed the commissary
at MGM Studios in the 1950s), his son Thomas Simms, Brian Taylor, and Paul Kurz opened the first Mimi's Cafe in December 1978 in Anaheim
, California
. Arthur J. Simms died (aged 82) in October 2000, when there were fifty Mimi's Cafe locations. Bob Evans Farms, Inc. purchased the Mimi's Cafe restaurant chain (operating under SWH Corporation) in July 2004 for USD$
182 million.
On August 17, 2009, Bob Evans opened a prototype restaurant in Xenia, Ohio
. This new restaurant has a more farm-like feel and resembles the Bob Evans farm.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The company is named after its founder, Bob Evans
Bob Evans (restaurateur)
Bob Evans was an American restaurateur and marketer of pork sausage products. He is perhaps best known for the American restaurant chain bearing his name. The company he founded also owns Mimi's Cafe and Owens Country Sausage....
(1918–2007). It operates two family dining restaurant chains in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Bob Evans Restaurants and Mimi's Cafe. Its food processing and retail enterprise products are manufactured and sold under the Bob Evans and Owens Country Sausage brand names.
History
The Bob Evans Restaurant chain started from a single truck stopTruck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
diner
Diner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
near the Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande, Ohio
Rio Grande, Ohio
Rio Grande is a village in Gallia County, Ohio, United States. The population was 915 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Point Pleasant, WV–OH Micropolitan Statistical Area....
(just north of Gallipolis, Ohio
Gallipolis, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,180 people, 1,847 households, and 1,004 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,156.2 people per square mile . There were 2,056 housing units at an average density of 568.7 per square mile...
) in 1953. The chain has grown to nearly 570 locations in 23 states, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States
The Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
, Midwestern, and upper Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
states. All locations are corporately owned, not franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
d.
The restaurant chain started after Bob Evans
Bob Evans (restaurateur)
Bob Evans was an American restaurateur and marketer of pork sausage products. He is perhaps best known for the American restaurant chain bearing his name. The company he founded also owns Mimi's Cafe and Owens Country Sausage....
kept hearing patrons at his truck stop say that they thought his sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
was the best around. Bob slaughtered and packaged his own pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
sausage using a unique recipe, but did not have the manufacturing capacity to fill large orders. He made a business arrangement with his cousin Tim Evans who was then the owner of Evans Packing Co. to package the Bob Evans Sausage products at Tim's plant.
Tim Evans is retired and still maintains his residence near the original Bob Evans Restaurant in Rio Grande. Another relative, Dan Evans, served as CEO until his retirement in 2000. Bob Evans also continued to reside in Rio Grande until his death on June 21, 2007.
The company also offers pork products to the retail grocery market, as well as some other prepared food products to both the grocery and food service segments. The restaurant chain was started because local restaurants would not purchase the high-quality pork sausage the company produced, saying that customers would not pay extra for quality.
The primary theme is one of country living: "Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
is served all day."
Company operations
The company acquired TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
based Owens Country Sausage in 1987. The company branded its otherwise identical restaurants in Texas as Owens Restaurants due to trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
issues. However, by January 2006, all Owens restaurants were closed.
The company also operated a Mexican
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
-themed restaurant called Cantina del Rio in the mid-1990s, a move which Bob Evans himself called "a disaster."
The Evans family controlled daily operations of the company until 2000 when Dan Evans (Bob's cousin) retired as CEO. After Dan's retirement, Stewart K. Owens (a former officer of the Owens Country Sausage company and later president of BOBE) assumed control of Bob Evans Farms Inc. as CEO. In 2001, he became Chairman of the Board
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
. Company profits faltered under Owens' tenure. In August 2005, after corporate profits had dropped in eight of the previous nine quarters, Owens announced his resignation. Officially, the cause of Owens' departure was "personal reasons" but many business analysts believed Owens' departure and Bob Evans disappointing results were more than a mere coincidence. After operating for several months under interim CEO Larry Corbin, the company hired Steven Davis, the former president of Long John Silver's
Long John Silver's
Long John Silver's, Inc. is a United States-based fast-food restaurant that specializes in seafood. The name and concept were inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's book Treasure Island. Formerly a division of Yum! Brands, Inc., the company was divested to a group of franchisees in 2011.-History:The...
, as CEO in May 2006.
The Mimi's Cafe restaurant chain is a wholly owned subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Bob Evans Farms, Inc., with 144 locations throughout the United States. The restaurants feature casual dining with a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and New Orleans' flair. Guests dine in one of several themed rooms, such as the Garden, Café, Bistro, Winery or Patio.
Arthur J. Simms (who headed the commissary
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
at MGM Studios in the 1950s), his son Thomas Simms, Brian Taylor, and Paul Kurz opened the first Mimi's Cafe in December 1978 in Anaheim
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Arthur J. Simms died (aged 82) in October 2000, when there were fifty Mimi's Cafe locations. Bob Evans Farms, Inc. purchased the Mimi's Cafe restaurant chain (operating under SWH Corporation) in July 2004 for USD$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
182 million.
On August 17, 2009, Bob Evans opened a prototype restaurant in Xenia, Ohio
Xenia, Ohio
Xenia is a city in and the county seat of Greene County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio 21 miles from Dayton and is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. This new restaurant has a more farm-like feel and resembles the Bob Evans farm.
See also
- Bob Evans (restaurateur)Bob Evans (restaurateur)Bob Evans was an American restaurateur and marketer of pork sausage products. He is perhaps best known for the American restaurant chain bearing his name. The company he founded also owns Mimi's Cafe and Owens Country Sausage....
- List of casual dining restaurant chains
- List of restaurant chains in the United States