I need some feedback for a project I'm working on which relates to Bob Evans.  Since it's an Ohio-based company, I thought I'd ask here.  We are working with their actual ad agency for this project.  Please reply if you have any opinions, it will really help me out.

 

- What do you think about Bob Evans restaurants?  Do you think it's just a place where old people eat?  Or just for breakfast?

 

- If you don't eat there, why?  Is the atmosphere just too uncool?  Dislike the food?  Dislike chains?

 

- How often do you go out to eat?

 

And if you have any other comments or opinions about Bob Evans please share those as well.

I hate places like Bob Evans for the same reasons I hate places like Applebees, TGI Fridays, Chili's, etc. While their food isn't BAD, per se, I f$&king HATE chain restaurants. They, to me, represent everything that I loathe about much of the Midwest (and America in general, really .. to just keep it to the Midwest is a bit unfair, I suppose): boring, bland, cookie-cutter sh!t that you can get anywhere .. literally.

 

And Bob Evans, in particular, always makes me think of someplace I'd go where I'd ask the waiter for an extra glass to put my teeth in.

I need some feedback for a project I'm working on which relates to Bob Evans. Since it's an Ohio-based company, I thought I'd ask here. We are working with their actual ad agency for this project. Please reply if you have any opinions, it will really help me out.

 

- What do you think about Bob Evans restaurants? Do you think it's just a place where old people eat? Or just for breakfast?

 

- If you don't eat there, why? Is the atmosphere just too uncool? Dislike the food? Dislike chains?

 

- How often do you go out to eat?

 

And if you have any other comments or opinions about Bob Evans please share those as well.

 

Despite their reputation for being an old folks home, I find that a lot of people my age seem to LOVE going there.  I think their food is crap.  Just absolutely rotten and nothing but processed salt and I have never enjoyed a meal there.  I've been to different locations about 10 times total in my life, never my choice or preference.  I cannot fathom the draw other than it's people who have no interest in cooking or eating real and good food made from scratch, as I just think it's terrible.  If I am forced to go there, I try to get a breakfast as that's the least repulsive food I've encountered there.

 

In general, I do avoid chains whenever possible.  Due to the strong preferences of some of my friends and family, or when traveling and lacking any other choice, I occasionally eat at them, but I would say 95% of the time when I eat out, it is not at a chain.

 

I think if you gave me a choice of where to eat, Applebee's or Bob Evans, it would be like trying to pick which poison you were going to drink that would possibly kill you.  The food is just so very bad at both places, it's a toss up.

 

As to how often I go out to eat, I would say about once a week.  But it depends.  Is grabbing a falafel sandwich at the west side market going out to eat?  Is getting takeout going out to eat?  Is going to a restaurant that only has counter service going out to eat?  Or do you mean an actual sit-down restaurant where someone takes your order.  In that case I would say once a month.

You know, for some reasons I love Bob Evans.  I hardly ever go...as I've been maybe 2 times in the last 5 yrs? but I always equate it with some "down home" mentality.  In that regard, I guess it's comfort food.  I also equate it with road trips, as my family would always stop there on the way to Pittsburgh for thanksgiving.

"What do you think about Bob Evans restaurants?  Do you think it's just a place where old people eat?  Or just for breakfast?"

 

I've eaten there once. It *was* a place where old people ate, and for breakfast.

 

If you don't eat there, why?  Is the atmosphere just too uncool?  Dislike the food?  Dislike chains?

 

I disliked the food - there wasn't much that seemed fresh/healthy, and the point of "country" food is that the ingredients are fresh - not frozen, trucked for hundreds of miles and then reheated. I ordered what I usually do for breakfast when I'm out - sausage biscuits and gravy and it couldn't begin to compare to what I grew up with in rinky-dink places in Columbiana County.

 

For what it's worth, I also avoid places like Perkins, IHOP, for that reason alone. Back to Bob Evans - the atmosphere was bumpkin-ish - the gingham patterns, craftsy decor, is pretty much the opposite of what I care for. Even though there isn't a Bob Evans near my home, I doubt I'd patronize it if one were built in the area. I also go out of my way to support locally-owned places.

 

"How often do you go out to eat?"

 

Every day for lunch (usually a locally-owned takeout place for wraps, Indian, sushi, Vietnamese) during the week, once on the weekends for lunch (sit-down), and one to two times a week at a sit-down place for dinner.

I was a waitress there for a summer in college.  If you have any questions, let me know :-D

Ms. MayDay summed it up pretty well!

 

Aren't we just a groovy focus group?!

I had to laugh at the timing of this thread - my cousin was visiting Cleveland (from Las Vegas) for the Monday Night Football Game, and we're both a bit food-snobbish.  He was only in town for a couple days, and wanted to get together with the older generation of our family (three elderly aunts).  We suggested lunch at a few places near Crocker Park (family is from Westlake/Lorain so it's central).  Of course we ended up at none other than Bob Evans, where the pumpkin bread was about the best thing I tasted.  Somehow it's hard to get excited about roast beef or turkey piled on top of mashed potatoes or stuffing, on a bed of Wonder bread, and smothered in gravy. 

 

Since two of my uncles who were gourmet cooks and food aficionados have passed away in the last few years, the quality of the family restaurant gatherings has taken a decided turn for the worse.  How did we go from Sarava, Gavi's, and #1 Pho to Bob Evans and Crapplebee's in a couple short years?  I'm starting to think of Ruby Tuesday's as quality dining...save me.

Ms. MayDay summed it up pretty well!

 

Aren't we just a groovy focus group?!

 

Yeah .. if there's anything you'll get from us, it's opinions, that's for sure! :)

I  agree completely with what jpop said.

 

I also agree with R&R, although I argue that Applebees is far worse than bob evans.

 

Full disclosure: I like "country" food, but I do not think BE's is as good as country people or I make. 

 

I think of places like Bob Evans are for situations when you are blearly eyed on the interstate and you need to eat and you have people with you that will eat it. I have been roped into going for certain work functions and have not been too happy.

 

 

For what it is worth, I do not think that the food is worse than other chains that serve mass produced meals, I just don't really care for it.

 

I think I liked Bob evans in my teens. I liked to go with friends and eat the breakfast buffet.  One time I got so sick I missed the next 2 days of school as did my friend. I never ate the buffet again.

I liked to go with friends and eat the breakfast buffet. One time I got so sick I missed the next 2 days of school as did my friend. I never ate the buffet again.

 

Do NOT get me started on buffets. Seriously.

 

I know this is off-topic, but I have to vent .. my parents are seriously the worst people palate-wise I can think of. They LOOOVE this type of stuff. And they LOOOOOVE buffets. Why? Because they're all-you-can-eat for one low all-you-can-eat price. I wonder if this all-you-can-eat price covers the trip to the emergency room because seriously, the way the food looks at some of these places under these heat lamps all day, I'd much rather go hungry. There's this Hong Kong Buffet place they simply rave about on Snow Rd. I will never go with them to a buffet ANYwhere ever again.

 

 

 

I liked to go with friends and eat the breakfast buffet.  One time I got so sick I missed the next 2 days of school as did my friend. I never ate the buffet again.

 

Do NOT get me started on buffets. Seriously.

 

I know this is off-topic, but I have to vent .. my parents are seriously the worst people palate-wise I can think of. They LOOOVE this type of stuff. And they LOOOOOVE buffets. Why? Because they're all-you-can-eat for one low all-you-can-eat price. I wonder if this all-you-can-eat price covers the trip to the emergency room because seriously, the way the food looks at some of these places under these heat lamps all day, I'd much rather go hungry. There's this Hong Kong Buffet place they simply rave about on Snow Rd. I will never go with them to a buffet ANYwhere ever again.

 

 

 

 

Ahhh, the pieces of the puzzle are now coming together, I now see where you "get it" from.  Hummmm

Ahhh, the pieces of the puzzle are now coming together, I now see where you "get it" from.  Hummmm

 

Get what from, hombre?? :wink:

Haarrrrumphh!!

 

As the resident geezer here (I'm older than a few of these whippersnappers combined), let me add some balance to this collective rant.

 

I like Bob Evans. I don't often dine out, but when I'm traveling in the Midwest I know I can count on the brand for consistent quality, and I've seldom had any complaints about the food. I like local mom-and-pop places, too, but when you're in unfamiliar territory some local places can be AYOR. Been there, done that.

 

I like mashed potatoes and gravy with or without roast beef, meat loaf (when it's nice and moist), creamed corn, peas, lima beans, and comfort food in general. Heck, I even like brussels sprouts. No, I'll take that back; I love brussels sprouts!

 

For breakfast; sausage and biscuits; eggs over-easy with crisp bacon and biscuits with butter & honey; pancakes with butter and syrup; waffles likewise. Or a sliced banana with milk will do if I'm not starving.

 

The "country" decor is neither here nor there. I'm not moving in, I'm just stopping by to grab a bite to eat. So long as the place is reasonably clean, the service is friendly, and the food is hot when it arrives at my table, I'm happy. Bob Evans nearly always meets my expectations. Sometimes there are families with noisy children, but I still prefer the surroundings there to the contrived hype, razzle-dazzle and commotion in joints like Ruby Tuesday or Applebees.

 

So yeah, I like Bob Evans. Incidentally, I'm about 5' 10", 140lbs. And jpop, all my own teeth are still firmly attached to my jawbone, and I don't need that extra glass. I wouldn't have it any other way. :-D

We eat at Bob when we drive around the state. It's friendly enough for the kids and the food is Ok. The one in Oxford sucks, though. I have to wait half an hour at least every time I am there and they invariably eff up my order. Bob is not sexy, and the country decor kind of makes me sad, but that's on me, not Bob.

"Haarrrrumphh!!

 

As the resident geezer here ...I like Bob Evans"

 

so there you go

 

 

I can't stand Bob Evans.  It seems to me as if everything has a certain taste, as if everything they make is dipped in a vat of "Bob Evans Grease" before it is served.  I place it a step below Applebee's (which is close to the bottom as well).  And the fact that they are almost universally located in a sea of asphalt near a freeway exit doesn't help their cause (or make them feel "country").

who here thinks Applebees is worse? I really do.

I defiantly see it as a place for older people to eat, but I do like Bob Evans. I always get the Wildfire Chicken Salad though, so I have no clue what the rest of the menu offers.

 

I wonder what an urban Bob Evans could look like.

who here thinks Applebees is worse? I really do.

 

At least Applebees offers alcohol, and that can help  :D

I eat at Bob Evans about once a month. It's a popular place for breakfast meetings with clients. I've only eaten breakfast there, and it's passable. Coffee comes on a regular basis. Hard to mess up scrambled eggs and toast. I'm with Rob on the decor. I don't even notice it. I'm not there to admire the decorations. I'm usually there with a purpose, not to linger. The layout is conducive to meeting with clients (i.e. you're not crammed in next to each other like at Yours Truly).

 

So, for that purpose alone, I like them.

 

On a side note, my wife's family used to own Newfoundlands, and as a large dog, they're subject to hip problems. They had to drive the one down to Ohio State to have it looked at, and on the way stopped at Bob Evans to grab a hamburger to feed to the dog. The dog refused to eat it. Turned up it's nose and pushed it away. So for what it's worth, it's not a big hit with Newfies.

The last time i was at a bob evans was about 2 years ago, my grandma wanted to take me and my 2 younger cousins out to lunch when the schools were closed, and for some crazy reason we all decided to go. I suggested places like Adams Place on 200th in Euclid, and few of the other breakfast places on vine street. Little did we know that she already had her mind made up on her favorite place for breakfast, bob evans. At the time my cousins were 14 and 12, and they easily were the youngest people in there by 50 years, and that includes the entire staff. The food was rotten, service was slow, and my cousins and i walked out of there feeling like absolute s*it, but gram just loved the whole experience. Never would i choose to go bob evans in my life, in fact i dont think i would hit a dog in the a$$ with anything from bob evans.

And to Applebee's/TGIF/and the like, the only time i ever go to places like that is if im getting off work past midnight and need anything to fill my stomach, besides that ill pass. 

It certainly does seem that there is something in most of the food there that old people really love but makes younger people gag -- as if it may not be a age/cultural thing but instead the food fulfills an actual physiological need for older people.

^I'm pretty sure they have a limited "55+" menu which has discounted pricing on select items. For people on a fixed income, I'd imagine that plays a big role in their decision.

I only like Lebanese food.

 

Naturally, I hate Bob Evans. And yes, I do think of old white folks when picturing a Bob Evans restaurant, typically country-fried Midwesterners too. If I go to Bob Evans, it's because I'm hungover and I need a cheap coffee. There's also the possibility I just didn't go to bed the night before.

 

- What do you think about Bob Evans restaurants? Do you think it's just a place where old people eat? Or just for breakfast?

 

I think of old people and/or hungover people. Breakfast for me is in the form of coffee.

 

- If you don't eat there, why? Is the atmosphere just too uncool? Dislike the food? Dislike chains?

 

Any place with lots of suburban white folks scares the hell out of me. This includes shopping malls, Chipotle, Abercrombie & Fitch, Republican conventions, country music concerts, Westerville, and Bob Evans. Still, it's not as scary as Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel is the most frightening place in American history and not a place I dare to tread. Cracker Barrel is ten times worse than Bob Evans. Bob Evans is more Columbus while Cracker Barrel is more Charlotte.

 

- How often do you go out to eat?

 

two or three times a week.

 

I hate places like Bob Evans for the same reasons I hate places like Applebees, TGI Fridays, Chili's, etc. While their food isn't BAD, per se

 

I really don't know how people eat "American food." To me, it's just about the blandest, most uninspired crap on earth. It just doesn't do it for me on any level. I have a very refined, snobby palate, and it only accepts the finest Lebanese food. I have exceptions like Caribbean Jerk wings at BW3's, and Bleu Zones at DP Dough, but for the most part, I try to stay the hell away from American food. This excludes ice cream, which is just too f$&king good and represents American intelligence at its highest form. Breyers chocolate can best any dessert.

 

America should stick to what its good at- porn, ice cream, and getting drunk.

 

you're a fool. 

As someone who worked there for a summer in college *cringe*, the service is crappy cause the employees are usually either bitter veterans or someone that was just hired yesterday.  The bitter veterans stay for years because the job and required hours are easy.  The employee turnover rate for everyone else is extremely high because the food is cheap and there is no alcohol, which means the bills are small.  That equates to very small tips for a decent amount of work on top of the $2.13 minimum wage server base salary.  Additionally, a lot of senior citizens tip 10% TO THE PENNY (no joke).  If a person can find a more expensive restaurant to work in, they do, and if they can't, they stay at Bob Evans and become a bitter veteran.  The bitter veterans are then bitter in the first place because they can't get a better job.  Because they are bitter, it shows in their attitude towards customers, which results in crappier tips and even more bitterness.  I had so many of those veterans jealous of me when I would rake in the tips.  At any rate, bitter old employees + practically temporary employees = an all around crappy experience.

Doc Broc.. Great Post.

 

As far as Bob Evans goes, only if I am forced to or it is the only thing around. I don't know who mentioned it above, but I only get the wildfire chicken salad too (if it is not breakfast). I am a sucker for mildly tangy sweet sauces, just like the Jack Daniels sauce at TGIFs if they still have it, but I don't think that I have been there in 5 years.

 

C-Dawg, why do you got to hate on Chipolte? I know there are better burritos out there. But still...

 

 

Went into Bob Evans once while my car was being serviced and saw Drew Carey eating there. This was about a year ago so it was after his heart attack...

I eat at Bob Evans once a year as part of a large family reunion/vacation.  I don't like the food there for the most part, but I usually order the chicken and noodles, which I think is on the 55+ menu (I'm 28).  It's just hearty chicken noodle soup with big thick homestyle noodles.  Its pretty rad.

 

I also love their dinner rolls.  Not the crappy biscuits, the dinner rolls.  I mean like an unnatural love.  Chicken and noodles and like 5 rolls.  How many miles on the eliptical would that require, Mayday?

 

 

 

I like Bob Evans buscuits and gravy but I'm guessing it's the same frozen crap shipped to them in a giant plastic bag like everywhere else.

 

Like other people on here mentioned, when I think of Bob Evans I think of old people (and families who made it through an hour of mass on sunday morning and need somewhere to celebrate).

 

The prices are reasonable at Bob Evans but I hardly ever go anywhere for breakfast and when I do with friends, its usually First Watch in d/t Cincinnati or German Village in Columbus. The food is much better, still reasonably priced and the atmosphere is better.

 

I would love to see Bob Evans try and compete with First Watch's tri-fecta. It's not going to happen.

Just to post the idiot comment:

 

I like their pot roast sandwich. You guys should try it.

 

I also like Applebee's food a lot, and I assume that most of these places are franchises. Therefore, these chains are still a part of the community with only the difference of having a common name and menu attached, but I still prefer independent restraunts.

I'm not going to lie... I have kind of a soft spot for the Bob Evans country fried steak breakfast with grits. :oops:

I'm not going to lie... I have kind of a soft spot for the Bob Evans country fried steak breakfast with grits. :oops:

 

I don't normally eat a chains, but the boys in my department went to Ruby Tuesday, and I had an amazing burger and the little grape cocktails were scrumptious.

I haven't been to a Bob Evans in a few years. The last time I went was a bunch of friends in Kent, and as I walked in I was staring across the street at Mike's Place and wishing I could have convinced everyone to just go there. After I got my order, I really really wished I had gone across the street, friends or not.

I'm not going to lie... I have kind of a soft spot for the Bob Evans country fried steak breakfast with grits. :oops:

 

I don't normally eat a chains, but the boys in my department went to Ruby Tuesday, and I had an amazing burger and the little grape cocktails were scrumptious.

 

Ruby Tuesdays is the bomb. I love that place and I don't normally like chains. Rock Bottom too.

"How many miles on the eliptical would that require, Mayday?"

 

Too many - just go with bulimia. :lol:

- What do you think about Bob Evans restaurants?  Do you think it's just a place where old people eat?  Or just for breakfast?

 

I don't have any age perception of the place, and I do see it as a breakfast place, mostly.

 

- If you don't eat there, why?  Is the atmosphere just too uncool?  Dislike the food?  Dislike chains?

 

I dont eat out for breakfast...its pretty rare.  The atmosphere is actually pretty nice compared to Perkins, which is the breakfast place i usually go to.  Food is OK for me.

 

I have to say I did have a bad (food) experience at a Bob Evans in KY years ago...just didnt like the place... and I didnt go back.  Recently I did revisit and changed my mind.  I usually choose Bob Evans if im on a road trip..one of the best was in New Philadelphia...goood service and food.

 

 

- How often do you go out to eat?

 

Oh, maybe 2 or 3 times a month, dinner.

 

And if you have any other comments or opinions about Bob Evans please share those as well.

 

Though I dont eat out for bkfst I find my self buying Bob Evans bacon and sausage at the supermarket.  I like their bacon..country pepper, and the maple cured.

 

I was a host and bussed tables at Frisch's Big Boy for 18 months in high school.  My polyester uniform looked as good the day I turned it in as the day I took it home.  By the end my time there I was the 3rd most senior employee out of 50+.  At one point we ran out of maternity uniforms, and even the mildly retarded girl who ran the cash register was pregnant.  Everyone except me smoked, pregnant or otherwise. 

 

The Wednesday night church crowds were the most annoying, since they felt like they were entitled to the very finest service, despite never giving more than $5 in tips and never numbering less than 12.  Also, the bussers didn't get any tips, except once a guy gave me $1.  I got a quarter raise after a year from I think $4/hr to $4.25.  This was when the minimum was $3.75. 

 

In contrast to the church groups, the smoking section attracted a seedier crowd.  Several times I had to seat a 6'4" transvestite who would sit at the same 2-top with his wife(?).  Forks would drop and gasps could be heard as he(?) made his way back to the smoking section, resplendent in shoulder-length wig and black pantyhose.  Oddly, his(?) favorite table also attracted a guy who would come in by himself and after 10 minutes of staring at other customers pull a harmonica from his vest pocket and treat the smoking section to to some avant garde riffing.  Also, early in the week after dinner, the smoking section attracted a significant gay clientele who had the tacky habit of unbuttoning their shirts one button too much.

 

I'd imagine something similar at Bob Evans. 

In contrast to the church groups, the smoking section attracted a seedier crowd.  Several times I had to seat a 6'4" transvestite who would sit at the same 2-top with his wife(?).  Forks would drop and gasps could be heard as he(?) made his way back to the smoking section, resplendent in shoulder-length wig and black pantyhose.  Oddly, his(?) favorite table also attracted a guy who would come in by himself and after 10 minutes of staring at other customers pull a harmonica from his vest pocket and treat the smoking section to to some avant garde riffing. 

 

I'd imagine something similar at Bob Evans. 

 

That's EXACTLY what it's like at the Bob Evans I go to...except once in a while Savion Glover stops by and does some improvisational tap.  :lol:

 

Sometimes I think you live in a David Lynch movie, Jmeck.

I always felt out of place when I worked at Bob Evans because they would all sit in the employee lounge and smoke and talk about the good deal they got on window A/C units for their trailers.....  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but that is the lifestyle of most Bob Evans "veterans" that I described upthread.

I love Bob Evans! The food is good and the cost is pretty cheap. My friends and i (around age 29) usually go there for lunch. I usually order a grilled cheese or club sandwich, so it's not like they can mess those up! It also seems like their prices are cheaper than Perkins/other chains. Oh yeah, and their buscuits and rolls are the best!

 

Am i saying Bob Evans or other chains are my favorite?? No way!!! Thankfully, here in the Mahoning Valley, we have plenty of locally owned restaurants (mostly italian, some greek, some all-american). My friends and i prefer local places to chains, but when we need a quick sandwich we go to Bob Evans.

 

Oh yeah, when we are visiting our friends in the Toledo area we usually go to the Bob Evans in Perrysburg. I've yet to have any good lunch food anywhere else up there!

as a weird side note my spouse called me last night. He was on the road to Cincinnati with a colleague.  The spouse was hoping to eat at some indie joint downtown that I had researched for him, but instead his colleague (and he our friend too) INSISTED on stopping at yes, Bob Evans.  My spouse actually opened the call with you will NEVER believe where we stopped to eat...

 

Our friend is not would I would guess to be the typical Bob E customer. Highly educated, progressive, European, under 45. But apparently he loves it. Go figure. He does love chains though.

 

 

... Our friend is not would I would guess to be the typical Bob E customer. Highly educated, progressive, European, under 45. But apparently he loves it. Go figure. He does love chains though.

 

See? It just takes a level of sophistication that is beyond most midwesterners' comprehension! :wink:

Am i saying Bob Evans or other chains are my favorite?? No way!!! Thankfully, here in the Mahoning Valley, we have plenty of locally owned restaurants (mostly italian, some greek, some all-american). My friends and i prefer local places to chains, but when we need a quick sandwich we go to Bob Evans.

 

Like Sunrise, Hot Dog Shoppe, or Abruzzi's. I love Leo's in Howland

 

 

Not generally a big fan of Bob Evans... usually just for breakfast... they have good biscuits and sausage gravy.

Am i saying Bob Evans or other chains are my favorite?? No way!!! Thankfully, here in the Mahoning Valley, we have plenty of locally owned restaurants (mostly italian, some greek, some all-american). My friends and i prefer local places to chains, but when we need a quick sandwich we go to Bob Evans.

 

Like Sunrise, Hot Dog Shoppe, or Abruzzi's. I love Leo's in Howland

 

 

Not generally a big fan of Bob Evans... usually just for breakfast... they have good biscuits and sausage gravy.

 

Yes, i love all those places!

 

Don't forget: Salvatore's, The Chophouse

http://www.alberinis.com/

http://buenavistacafe.biz/index.html

http://www.mochahouse.com/

http://www.enzosofwarren.com/

 

 

 

 

Several times I had to seat a 6'4" transvestite who would sit at the same 2-top with his wife(?).  Forks would drop and gasps could be heard as he(?) made his way back to the smoking section, resplendent in shoulder-length wig and black pantyhose.  Oddly, his(?) favorite table also attracted a guy who would come in by himself and after 10 minutes of staring at other customers pull a harmonica from his vest pocket and treat the smoking section to to some avant garde riffing.  Also, early in the week after dinner, the smoking section attracted a significant gay clientele who had the tacky habit of unbuttoning their shirts one button too much.

 

This sounds like the old Gay Denny's in Dayton.  It's still Denny's, just not so gay anymore.

Several times I had to seat a 6'4" transvestite who would sit at the same 2-top with his wife(?).  Forks would drop and gasps could be heard as he(?) made his way back to the smoking section, resplendent in shoulder-length wig and black pantyhose.  Oddly, his(?) favorite table also attracted a guy who would come in by himself and after 10 minutes of staring at other customers pull a harmonica from his vest pocket and treat the smoking section to to some avant garde riffing.  Also, early in the week after dinner, the smoking section attracted a significant gay clientele who had the tacky habit of unbuttoning their shirts one button too much.

 

This sounds like the old Gay Denny's in Dayton.  It's still Denny's, just not so gay anymore.

 

And the old Howard Johnson in Cleveland!

Am i saying Bob Evans or other chains are my favorite?? No way!!! Thankfully, here in the Mahoning Valley, we have plenty of locally owned restaurants (mostly italian, some greek, some all-american). My friends and i prefer local places to chains, but when we need a quick sandwich we go to Bob Evans.

 

Like Sunrise, Hot Dog Shoppe, or Abruzzi's. I love Leo's in Howland

 

 

Not generally a big fan of Bob Evans... usually just for breakfast... they have good biscuits and sausage gravy.

 

Best biscuits & gravy in the area is the truck stop on Rt 5 (Center of the World) just before the turnpike.  At least it used to be.  And if it's still there, Combine Bros on 18 in Hermitage.  Not for biscuits.  Giant portion of pasta with steak on top.

 

I once went to the original Bob Evans near Chilicothe (?) as a little kid on the way to see the Tecumseh play.  We got to see one of the wait staff get fired.  It was a nice opening act to the drama of Ohio's early settlement wars.  I've never had bad food at Bob Evans, it's just really basic.  Using more fresh local ingredients could be a nice modern hook for them.  Come out strong in support of small family farms.  Double down on their brand.     

I buy Bob Evans' mashed potatoes at Kroger when I'm too lazy to buy fresh ones and mash 'em.

>I always felt out of place when I worked at Bob Evans because they would all sit in the employee lounge and smoke and talk about the good deal they got on window A/C units for their trailers.....  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but that is the lifestyle of most Bob Evans "veterans" that I described upthread.

 

 

The other thing about these kinds of jobs is that typically there's somebody besides the manager who's bossing you around from the moment you set foot on the premises your first day, then a bit later you find out they'd only started 2 weeks before you.