Rise & Shine

Norwalk Grand Opening Getting Closer

On Tuesday, a few members of the Rise and Shine team took a trip to Norwalk, OH to finalize all of the last minute details for the grand opening on July 20! We met with representatives from Relay for Life about the details of the morning! We are so excited about their involvement with the opening and are looking forward to raising a lot of money for their cause. After we met with them, we arrived at the mayor’s office to introduce ourselves.  We brought along some freshly baked banana and blueberry bread and the people at the office were so happy that we did! We are so thrilled that Mayor Lesch is able to be a part of our opening celebration.

Later that afternoon, we took a trip to the police station and the VFW (with banana and blueberry bread in hand, of course) and met everyone that will be involved in the big day! While we were there, we found out that the Norwalk OH VFW possesses the largest flying flag in the world and that they will be flying it at the VFW on Saturday. If you are able to join us for the opening festivities, make sure you stop by and take a look at that!

Grand Opening Countdown: 5 days!

Update on Norwalk

Last week the Rise & Shine team met to finalize the details for the Grand Opening in Norwalk, Ohio on July 20! The date is fast-approaching and the whole Bob Evans team is getting excited about it! We will be partnering with Relay for Life to help raise money by donating $.50 for each grand opening customer in attendance! In addition, any customer who donates $5.00 to Relay for Life will get a FREE Bob Evans t-shirt!

We will be handing out $12,000 worth of gift cards throughout the day and big-dollar gift cards to the first 100 people in line! The opening ceremony will start before the new doors open at 6:00 a.m. with a few special guests, such as Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch and Bob Evans CEO Steve Davis!

If you can’t make this Grand Opening, don’t worry! We have another exciting opening in Xenia, Ohio on August 17! This restaurant will look a bit different, though. The Xenia restaurant will be the first of the new design, which we are very excited about, and all others built after will look this way! What do you think of the new Bob Evans look? Become a fan of Bob Evans on Facebook and give us your input!

Rendering photo of Xenia!

Xenia: New Prototype Coming Soon!

In just a few months, on August 17, we will be welcoming our new prototype restaurant in Xenia, Ohio! An all new concept has been developed to contemporize our restaurants to create a new, exciting experience for our guests to enjoy.

The new design draws upon the homestead feel of the original family home in Rio Grande, Ohio, where Bob Evans and his wife Jewel raised their family.  The new Home of Homestyle is our way of contemporizing the homestead, both inside and outside the restaurant, by bringing the "Home of Homestyle" to life!

Some new things to expect in the new Xenia restaurant:

• Flat screen televisions
• WIFI and plug-in outlets for electronics
• Corner Cupboard retail assorted offerings of items unique to Bob Evans, such as coffee, salad dressings, etc.
• New staff uniforms
• Eat in kitchen
• Curbside carryout
• Big Red Round table, serving as a gathering spot for families
• Outside re-image

Bob Evans has a long history in Xenia, a town about 40 miles southwest of the Columbus headquarters. Bob Evans' first pork processing plant was opened there in 1953 and we have operated a restaurant in the city (population 27,300) for 21 years. Officials picked the city because the restaurant was scheduled for remodeling in 2009, although the prototype will be built a few miles away from the original eatery.

The new showcase restaurant, which will seat 146 guests, will be located next to Applebee’s on Harner Drive near Progress Drive.

Guess what else is coming to Xenia on August 17? A Rise & Shine event to celebrate the opening! Stay tuned. More details to come!

Read more about the new prototype opening in Xenia at the following Web sites:

“Prototype Bob Evans Coming to Xenia,” Xenia Gazette: http://xeniagazette.1upmonitor.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=163515&TM=7223.193

“Bob Evans Readies Prototype with ‘Eat-in-kitchen,’” ChainLeader.com http://www.chainleader.com/article/CA6653383.html

Norwalk, here we come!

Our Rise & Shine team is anxiously counting down the days for the Norwalk, Ohio Grand Opening event. On July 20, we will be opening the doors of a brand new restaurant just a few miles down the road from the existing restaurant in Norwalk, Ohio. The new restaurant is located at 4800 Us 250 North. Please see details below of the opening day festivities!

The first 100 people who are 18 and older, with proper ID, to Rise & Shine will be rewarded:

• The first 25 people in line when our doors open at 6 a.m. will each receive a $200 Bob Evans Restaurant gift card, 
• The second 25 will receive a $100 Bob Evans Restaurant gift card,
• And the next 50 people in line will receive a $50 Bob Evans Restaurant gift card.

Before opening our doors on July 20 at 6 a.m., we will have an opening ceremony with some special guests joining us for the celebration. We hope to see many of you out of bed nice and early to join us in the morning!

If you can’t stop by in the morning, no need to worry. The entire day will be packed full of events! Every adult who dines with us will be able to select a plastic egg on their way out of the door. Each egg contains a prize, everything from a FREE soda or coffee to a $5, $10, $20, or $50 Bob Evans Restaurant gift card! All children 12 and under will take home with them a plastic egg with a surprise inside and a FREE Kids Meal coupon.

In keeping with the typical Rise & Shine tradition, Bob Evans will be partnering with a local charity to help raise money during this event.

The Rise & Shine team can’t wait for the opening event and hope to see many of you there! Looking forward to July 20 in Norwalk, Ohio!

NEW! Grand Opening Event

On Monday, April 20, members of the Bob Evans team will be heading to Shively, Kentucky, for a Grand Opening celebration of store number 561! During the time spent in Shively, members of the Bob Evans team will be distributing gift cards, t-shirts (with a donation of $5 or more to Dare to Care Food Bank) and will be sharing in the excitement with members of the community!

Bob Evans will be supporting Louisville’s Dare to Care Food Bank by donating $1 for every opening-day customer. This interfaith, non-profit agency is the only community-wide emergency food provider in the Louisville area, striving to end hunger through partnerships, innovative programs and community engagement.

Shively is located in Jefferson County about five miles from Louisville. It was incorporated as a city on May 23, 1938, and was considered the state's fastest growing city in the 1950s, fueled by its jobs and location near urban Louisville areas. Today it is home to over 16,000 people on 4.6 square miles. What a great location for our newest Bob Evans Restaurant!

We didn’t forget about you!

Who’s ready for the next Rise & Shine celebration?! Bob Evans certainly is, but we'll have to wait a few months: The next one is slated for spring 2009! We will reveal our secret location and date at a later, so stay tuned!

If you just can’t wait that long for another grand opening celebration, you may be interested in our reimage celebrations... more information to come. We're just now finalizing the details, but as soon as we do, you'll be the first to read about these new and exciting events.

To be continued...

2 new photo albums

Sorry again for the delay. Our photos are now up for Dayton and Logan, OH. Click below to view:

Logan, OH, Rise & Shine photos

Dayton, OH, Rise & Shine photos 

 

We hope you enjoy!

Media mention and photobooth photos

As our Rise & Shine events become more and more popular, so does the ever-expanding media coverage. See what The Columbus Dispatch said about Logan's Rise & Shine event:
http://dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/09/23/rest_0923.ART_ART_09-23-08_C10_0EBDB6U.html?sid=101

With more than 100 photos to browse through, be prepared to smile and laugh at these hilarious photos from the Logan, OH, Rise & Shine photo booth:
http://picasaweb.google.com/petertower/BobEvansLogan#

A Success in Logan!

The weather did not deter Bob Evans fans from participating in the Logan, OH, Rise & Shine grand opening celebration on September 15.

When the Rise and Shine team pulled up to the new restaurant on Sunday night, it was a sight to see!  Waiting in line were more than 20 people, all anxiously waiting for the next morning when they can be the first customers to dine at the new store and receive their gift cards. What was more amazing was that some of the first 15 people traveled more than two hours to be there! 

Traveling all the way from Troy, Ohio, was Les. Les along with his sister and friend waited in line from 7 p.m. Saturday night until the big day on Monday morning to be the first few people in line to win the $200 gift certificate. Les participated in the Dayton’s grand opening in the beginning of September and had so much fun that he came back for more! 

Throughout the evening, the Rise & Shine team entertained, fed and mingled with all of the grand opening participants. Bob Evans brats and Italian sausages were grilled, coffee was made, and banana nut bread was served. And of course we had the corn hole tournament, the winner was Ken from the Dayton area. 

Kicking off the grand opening celebration was the Logan High School who did an amazing job playing the National Anthem! A few welcome notes from Roger Williams, Mayor Michael Walsh, Dick Stevens, Travis Poling and Logan’s own “celebrity” Merl Beery followed the band’s performance.  Although the rain was coming down in a mist, everyone was in good spirits and excited for the doors to open at 6 a.m.   

Thank you to everyone who participated in Logan’s grand opening! We appreciate all of the support from fellow employees as well as dedicated Bob Evans customers!  Thanks again for one more successful Rise & Shine celebration! We’ll be back in a bit to tell you about the contribution that was made from the partnership with the Community Action Regional Food Center!

Photos coming soon!

We haven't forgotten about you...

Sorry for the delay! We've been in the dark all this week due to a powerful storm (formerly known as hurricane Ike) that hit Columbus, OH. Please check back early next week to read the wrap up report from Logan and to view photos!

Have a great weekend!