Bob Evans Restaurants appears to be ready to bring beer and wine sales to some of its Ohio restaurants.
The New Albany-based restaurant company added beer and wine to menus in Florida and other states during the past year. It now seems to be Ohio’s time.
The company has at least 14 liquor licenses pending with the state including four in Central Ohio. Those are:
- 1760 Hill Road North, Pickerington
- 3988 E. Broad St., Whitehall
- 3910 Lyman Dr., Hilliard
- 6085 Gender Road, Canal Winchester
Elsewhere around the state Bob Evans has licenses pending for restaurants at:
- 2100 W. 4th St., Mansfield
- 503 Griswold Ave., Elyria
- 220 Byers Dr., Miamisburg
- 40 Sharts Dr., Springboro
- 1600 W. 1st St., Springfield
- 6420 Kit Lane, Maumee
- 6435 Centers Dr., Holland
- 3524 Indian Meadows Dr., Hamilton
- 510 Ohio Pike, Cincinnati
- 6318 Glenway Ave., Cincinnati
The company previously declined to discuss its plans and thus far has not yet responded to questions about its Ohio rollout aspirations.
Bob Evans has restaurants in 18 states.
Though the Bob Evans brand has never sold alcohol, chains that once were part of the company, including Cantina del Rio and Mimi’s Cafe, have.
The chain isn’t alone in stretching beyond its family dining roots. Cracker Barrel last year began offering alcohol. IHOP also has tested alcohol in the past.
Adding alcohol at Bob Evans is the newest innovation under CEO Saed Mohseni who took the reins of the business in 2015.
The historic, Ohio-founded brand was acquired by San Francisco-based private equity firm Golden Gate Capital in 2017. Though the now more than 450-restaurant company has tended to quiet since going private, Columbus Business First sat down with Mohseni in 2019 to discuss how it was balancing a renewed focus on its roots with the need to stay innovative.
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Courtesy of nbc4i.com
