The grand opening of the newest Home of the Homestyle in Xenia, Ohio on Monday was great! We’ve received many comments from guests who love the new design of the restaurant and were impressed with the morning celebration. Check out the comments on our Facebook page!
The night before the celebration, employees of the restaurant arrived around 3:30 a.m. to prepare for the day! Starting work at 3:30 a.m. does not seem that early when you compare it to the guests who had been there for days!
The first 25 people in line who received the $200 gift cards were in line by 11 a.m. on Sunday morning and we had our first 100 guests already in line by 2 a.m.! We even had another 50 guests arrive before 6 a.m. to watch the opening ceremony and eat breakfast. The people in the Xenia community were so excited for the grand opening and their enthusiasm certainly showed as they were waiting for the ribbon to be cut. Our CEO Steve Davis said a few words and introduced the mayor of Xenia to welcome everyone to the opening. Most of the guests in line had been up all night and were tired, but Mayor Pennewitt did a great job helping to get everyone wide awake and ready to get their gift cards and eat breakfast. Nicole Opfer, the general manager of the restaurant and Steve Davis recognized six long-term employees of the restaurant and gave them certificates for their continued service to Bob Evans. By this time, everyone was eager to see the restaurant and eat!
Bubble machines blew out thousands of bubbles as the ribbon was finally cut by the mayor, Steve and Nicole, and the restaurant quickly flooded with guests. One of the highlights of the morning was watching guest’s reactions as they entered the doors. Although they knew the design was going to be different, many of them were surprised to see the reveal of the new Home of the Homestyle. We got a lot of positive feedback from guests and loved hearing their thoughts and would love to hear yours, too!
We partnered with The Cleft, an organization that provides tools and resources to parents, youth workers and leaders, to help bring awareness and direction in making a positive impact on students. So many guests took advantage of the donations to The Cleft! Many guests walked away with a shirt after making a $5 donation. After donating $0.50 per opening day guest to The Cleft, the total added up to almost $700!
Magnolia Photo Booth Co. also joined us for the opening festivities! Guests were able to dress up and take free pictures in the photo booth and have them printed immediately! Check out some of the pictures that were taken throughout the day!
We are continuing to get comments from guests about the new design and welcome guest input! Have you visited the new restaurant? Tell us what you think! Tweet @bobevansfarms or join our fans in posting comments on our Facebook fan page!
We are all looking forward to planning more grand openings for the future and making sure they are as successful as this one!
The Bob Evans Rise and Shine Team looking good at the Grand Opening!
