MapMuse - Locate Bob Evans Farms Restaurants Near You

...selling products under the Bob Evans and Owens Country Sausage brand names.

Background

The Bob Evans Restaurant chain started from a single truck stop diner near the Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande, Ohio, which is just north of Gallipolis, Ohio, and has grown to almost 600 locations in 23 states, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, and upper Southern states. All locations are corporately owned, not franchised.

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 sausage using a unique recipe, but did not have the manufacturing capacity to fill large orders. He made a business arrangement with his cousin J. 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."