Bob Evans Restaurants facts for kids
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A Bob Evans in Huntington, West Virginia
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food |
| Genre | Family style |
| Fate | Company split in 2017; restaurant division sold to Golden Gate Capital, and BE Farms sold to Post Holdings |
| Successor | Golden Gate Capital (restaurant) Post Holdings (farms) |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | Bob Evans |
| Headquarters | 8111 Smith's Mill Road New Albany, Ohio, U.S. |
| Products | Breakfast foods, steaks, chicken, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, desserts, beverages |
| Revenue | US$384.94 Million (2017) |
| Owner |
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Number of employees
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30,625 |
Bob Evans Restaurants, often called Bob Evans, is a popular American chain of family-style restaurants. It is owned by a company called Golden Gate Capital and has its main office in New Albany, Ohio. The restaurant chain started in 1948 with Bob Evans (1918–2007). Over time, it grew into a bigger company known as "Bob Evans Farms, Inc." (BEF). This company later created a separate food business to sell its products in grocery stores.
The company bought other businesses, like Owens Country Sausage in 1987. In January 2017, the company split. The restaurant part was sold to Golden Gate Capital. The food product part, BEF Foods, was sold to Post Holdings in September 2017.
As of April 2024, there are 436 Bob Evans restaurants. They are located in many states, including Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. All these restaurants are owned by the company itself; they are not franchised by other people.
Bob Evans restaurants have a country-living style. Most locations also sell baked goods, snacks, and small gift items. The company used to sell pork products and refrigerated side dishes in grocery stores. These products, sold under the Bob Evans and Owens Country Sausage brand names, were separate from the restaurant business.
Contents
How Bob Evans Restaurants Started and Grew
The Beginning of a Farm-Fresh Idea
Bob Evans Restaurants began in 1948. Bob Evans started by making and packaging sausage for his small diner. His diner was in Gallipolis, Ohio. He first worked from his farm in Rio Grande. People loved his sausage, and more and more guests came to his farm to buy it.
In 1953, Bob Evans and his family and friends created Bob Evans Farms, Inc. Because so many people visited the farm, Bob built the first company restaurant there in 1962. He called it "The Sausage Shop."
Growing Across the States
More Bob Evans restaurants were built later. By the mid-1970s, there were 20 locations, all in Ohio. These included big cities like Cleveland and Columbus. By 1980, there were 59 restaurants in seven different states.
By 1992, Bob Evans owned and ran 261 restaurants in 16 states. These states included Ohio, Indiana, Florida, and Texas. The company's food products were also sold in 26 states.
Bob Evans worked with his cousin, Tim Evans, to package the Bob Evans Sausage products. Another relative, Dan Evans, was the CEO until he retired in 2000.
In 1987, the company bought Owens Country Sausage, which was based in Texas. Because of name rules, Bob Evans restaurants in Texas were called Owens Restaurants. However, by 2006, all Owens restaurants had closed.
Changes in Leadership and New Ideas
The Evans family managed the company every day until Dan Evans retired in 2000. After that, Stewart K. Owens became the CEO of Bob Evans Farms Inc. Company profits went down during his time. In 2005, Owens resigned. In 2006, Steven Davis became the new CEO.
In July 2004, Bob Evans Farms bought a restaurant chain called Mimi's Cafe for $182 million. Mimi's Cafe had 144 locations and served American food with a French style. Bob Evans Farms later sold Mimi's Cafe in 2013.
To make the company look more modern, Bob Evans introduced a new restaurant design in Xenia, Ohio, on August 17, 2009. These new restaurants had flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, and special areas for carryout orders. The design was inspired by the Bob Evans family farm.
The Company Splits Up
On January 24, 2017, Bob Evans Farms announced a big change. They decided to sell their restaurant business to a company called Golden Gate Capital. This sale was for $565 million. Golden Gate Capital also took ownership of the Bob Evans Farm in Bidwell, Ohio.
After the sale, Bob Evans Farms CEO Saed Mohseni moved to Golden Gate Capital to lead the Bob Evans restaurant division. Mike Townsley, who was in charge of BEF Foods, became the CEO of the new Bob Evans Farms. This new company focused only on grocery products like breakfast sausage and refrigerated side dishes.
On the same day, Bob Evans Farms also bought Pineland Farms Potato Co. in Maine for $115 million. This company processes potatoes and has a large potato farm. Both the restaurant sale and the potato company purchase finished on March 1, 2017.
On September 19, 2017, Bob Evans Farms announced another big step. They would be bought by Post Holdings. Post Holdings planned to combine their existing food business with Bob Evans Farms. This new combined business would focus on refrigerated retail foods. The sale of Bob Evans Farms to Post Holdings was completed on January 12, 2018. After this, Bob Evans Farms stopped being an independent company.
See also
- List of casual dining restaurant chains
- List of restaurant chains in the United States
Images for kids
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The Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande, Ohio, with a Bob Evans restaurant (left), pictured in 2007
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Bob Evans outlet in Lynchburg, Virginia, 2011 (closed in October 2017)
