Rise & Shine

The Bellefontaine photos are in!

Finally, what you've all been waiting for! Your photos from the Louisville Photographic Booth Co. are here! Click here to view the hilarity and the beauty. A big thank you goes out to the Louisville Photographic Booth Co. for coming out to our Bellefontaine Bob Evans Grand Opening. We had fun with you guys!

Here's a peak at the fun:

We hope you had a good time, Bellefontaine!

A big day for Bellefontaine!

The Rise & Shine team is finally starting to recover from what turned out to be a fantastic day for the Bellefontaine Bob Evans Grand Opening. Customers couldn’t wait to be the first in line to eat at the new restaurant and to receive those gift cards.

 

But some did wait patiently for the morning of the opening – for more than 12 hours, in fact! Our first customer arrived at the store at around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, about a half hour before our team did. By the time we got there at 5 p.m., the line was already up to at least 6 people, and it was growing fast.

 

 

As we unloaded our van full of goodies, signing up each person as he or she showed up, we realized that the sidewalk chalk and corn hole sets were going to be put to good use throughout the night. We’ve never been more right, because our 100^th person in line signed in just after 11:30 p.m. 

 

We can only speculate, but we think it’s safe to say, that is a world record for Bob Evans Grand Openings. As enthusiastic as we are about Bob Evans, we love to see people who share in our excitement. That’s why we stayed up all night with you! And boy are we glad we came prepared with corn hole sets, sidewalk chalk and decks of cards to entertain you all. We hope it was a good time! We were thoroughly entertained.

 

As the sun started to come up, the rest of the Bob Evans fans began to show up for the grand opening celebration. By the time we were ready to cut the ribbon, there were close to 200 people lined up, in a queue that ran around the new building.

 

After a few words from Bob Evans CEO Steve Davis, Peggy Thompson and Deb Ellis from Warm Clothes for Kids, and Bellefontaine Mayor Adam Brannon, the ribbon was cut and the brand new Bellefontaine Bob Evans was finally opened. All of those who had waited so patiently throughout the night crowded in to have a warm homestyle breakfast with a biscuit or two. As we watched our first customers walk sleepily into the restaurant, we couldn’t help but think that we were part of something pretty incredible.

 

 

The Rise & Shine night shift went to bed for a few hours after the morning ceremony, but the celebration lasted all day. Everyone who left the restaurant had something to take home with them, whether it were a free coffee, a gift certificate or a photo from the Louisville Photo Booth.

 

In the end, 1,638 people came to dine with us that day. They helped Bob Evans donate more than $800 dollars to Warm Clothes for Kids. In addition to that, Warm Clothes for Kids received more than $1700 in donations throughout the day! A big thank-you goes out to everyone who came out and donated on Monday!

 

Be sure to check out the photo album here for some great shots of the line out the door in the morning and the activities during the day. It feels great to be back in Bellefontaine, and we thank everyone that welcomed us!

Bellefontaine Grand Opening This Monday!

We've been hearing through the grapevine that the people over at Bellefontaine miss the homestyle cooking of Bob Evans, and believe us; it misses you too. That's why we're so excited the Bellefontaine Bob Evans restaurant grand re-opening is less than 4 days away!

The morning of Monday, July 14, is destined to be a great one for the city, as doors to the new building open at 6 a.m. But don't wait until then to get over to the 2100 South Main Street location, because you'll have missed out on some really great prizes. Make sure to be one of the first 100 in line, because this is what you'll be rewarded with:

First 25 in line - $200 Bob Evans gift card

Second 25 in line - $100 Bob Evans gift card

Third 50 in line - $50 Bob Evans gift card

That's not the only incentive to joining us that morning. The grand opening celebration will begin promptly at 5:45 a.m., with the Bellefontaine High School band members playing the national anthem. After that, Bob Evans CEO Steve Davis will say a few welcoming words, and then we’ll hear a few more words from Bellefontaine Mayor Adam Brannon. Then, after a speech from General Manager Jesse Obstler, the ribbon will be cut and the doors will swing open to a slew of hungry people!

Mayor Brannon holds a special place in our ceremony, because he is a former Bob Evans employee himself. Maybe we can convince him to put on his old apron and pour some folks a few cups of coffee. We’ll see!

Speaking special people, we’d like to recognize one from our Bob Evans family, Carl Crews! He opened the original Bellefontaine restaurant in 1993. From there he has worked his way up to our Restaurant Marketing Division, and does wonderful work here. Carl will be at the Bellefontaine restaurant for most of the day, so be sure to say hi!

 

We understand that not everyone can be up so early, but don’t worry if you’re not one of the early-risers. Every person to walk in the door will walk out with something in their hand. Every customer will receive a plastic egg with either a free soft drink or free coffee coupon, or a $5, $10, $20, or $50 Bob Evans gift card! Each child will also get a plastic egg with a surprise inside. Bob Evans will be handing out over $12,000 worth of prizes for the day, so bring your family and friends out!

 

In addition, Bob Evans will be donating 50 cents for every customer to Warm Clothes for Kids, a charity that provides underprivileged school-aged children in Logan County with basic clothing to keep them warm during the winter months.  Anyone feeling generous enough to donate $5 or more to the organization will receive a FREE “Rise & Shine” short-sleeve t-shirt, compliments of Bob Evans.

 

Also included in the day’s activities are corn hole games, four square, free photos with Biscuit and Gravy, and the return of the popular Louisville Photography Booth, Co.! People who attend our grand event can take a home a photo of themselves, dressed up in a variety of costumes, to remember the day. To see what we’re talking about, and look at this post about a previous opening to where the photo booth traveled.

 

We can’t wait to see everyone bright and early Monday morning! Be sure to keep checking back with us afterwards for photos and a story or two about the event. It’s sure to be a great one!

Logan Re-opening Change

For those avid Rise-and-Shine readers who frequent the site, you may have noticed a bit of a change in one of our earlier posts, titled "We haven't forgotten you!” Unfortunately, as one opening date moved closer to us, another moved further away. The grand re-opening for the Logan, OH, Bob Evans restaurant has been changed from September 1, to Monday, September 15.

 

But no worries, given the extra time we can make the opening even better! And we'll be sure to keep you informed along the way to that mid-September day.

Steubenville Update

Hello all!

For those of you who have been waiting patiently for the Steubenville, OH, Bob Evans Restaurant to reopen, we have fabulous news: The date of the restaurant grand opening has been moved up a whole week early! That means we will open our brand new doors in Steubenville on August 18, - a mere six weeks away.

So get out that white out and correct your calendars, because we can't wait to see you that Monday morning. Planning for the Bellefontaine grand opening is in full swing, and after that July 14, event, we'll be looking at you, Steubenville. Be sure to check back!