# @columbuslibrary on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DOlPYxGD6Bx
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/34784719-columbuslibrary-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/2d5bb82cbc.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-09-14T12:00:34.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Columbus Library (@columbuslibrary) — https://gondola.cc/columbuslibrary

## Caption

The Real Bob Evans story, from farm to family restaurants 🍳

Bob Evans was born in 1918, and spent much of his childhood in Gallia County, Ohio, near the West Virginia border. 

After serving in World War II, he returned home and opened the Bob Evans Steak House near Gallipolis. The 12-stool diner was a favorite for truckers and travelers.

One thing he couldn’t find? Good sausage. So, he made his own.

It was a hit, and the truckers started ordering 10-pound tubs to take home. 

Realizing the potential, Bob built his own sausage plant for $1,000 in 1950. 

As their reputation grew, Bob Evans invited people to his farm in Rio Grande, Ohio, and they came in droves – so many, in fact, that Bob opened “a little restaurant… just to take care of them”. Bob Evans would have coffee with them, chit-chat, and of course, serve breakfast. 

They expanded quickly across Ohio and into other states.

In 1963, this company headquarters opened in Columbus. Next to it, a prototype restaurant was built, which became the standard Bob Evans design we recognize today.

In 2007, Bob Evans died at age 89, having grown a restaurant chain from a family farm to nearly 500 locations across 18 states. 

In 2012, the company moved their corporate headquarters to New Albany, and in 2017, the business was sold to Golden Gate Capital for $565 million. Later that year, their prepared-foods company was bought by cereal maker Post for an additional $1.53 billion.

Today, the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging occupies the former headquarters, located at 3776 S. High St. A Bob Evans restaurant still operates next door.

#columbus #bobevans #ohiohistory

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## Tags

ohiohistory, bobevans, columbus

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