Bob Evans Restaurants started out way back in 1948, and it mainly processed and packaged sausages for their small diner. Word of how delicious these sausages spread, and plenty of other people went there to buy their sausages in bulk. 

The first actual company restaurant only opened in 1962. Today, they have almost 500 locations spread out over 18 states across the country. They’re mostly known for their great breakfast options, but they also offer lunch and dinner for great, affordable prices. 

According to PriceListo, you have plenty of breakfast options that won’t cost you more than $10. You can go with the Crepes Breakfast, with 2 homemade crepes stuffed with vanilla cream cheese, and then finished with powdered sugar blueberry topping, and whipped topping. 

And you also get your choice of premium breakfast meat. That means you can choose between the famous sausages, the hickory-smoked ham, or the hardwood-smoked bacon. 

Other sub-$10 breakfasts include the Rise & Shine, the Multigrain Hotcakes, the Buttermilk Hotcakes, the Brioche French Toast, and the Country Biscuit. Then you also have the Goat Cheese Veggie Omelet, the Big Egg Breakfast, the Ham Biscuit Benedict, and the Fresh Fit Farmer. 

The other options for lunch and dinner don’t cost as much as you might think, either. You can get yourself full for these meals for just a few dollars more. 

So, how can Bob Evans actually make money offering excellent fare at such low prices? Here are some likely reasons: 

They Have a Farm Network Across the US

Don’t forget that Bob Evans started out as a small farm that focused on creating fresh food using local ingredients. After all these years, they’re still committed to using farm-grown foods, and they’ve expanded their farm system across the US. That makes it easier for them to deliver the fresh ingredients to their locations. 

As they’re not buying these ingredients from outside sources, they’ve eliminated the middleman between the farm and the restaurant. That helps to reduce their cash outlay, and so they’re able to offer lower prices while maintaining the high quality for their dishes. 

They Use Seasonal Ingredients

Using seasonal ingredients just makes a lot of sense. Everyone grocery buyer knows that produce is cheaper when it’s in season. You have lots of supply to meet the constant demand. With Bob Evans, they cleverly use these seasonal ingredients to promote new menu items. 

That’s why for the strawberry season, Bob Evans launched various dishes that featured strawberries. They have the strawberries in their summer salads. They have on the menu strawberry pie, strawberries on hotcakes, and French toast with fresh strawberry sauce. 

Also, produce that’s in season are obviously tastier. They generally taste better than their counterparts that are grown in artificial weather conditions. They’re even healthier as well. And this is also more energy-efficient and more sustainable. 

They Use Lots of Inexpensive Seasonings

Everyone who has ever spent some time cooking in the kitchen knows the importance of seasonings. Great seasonings can really enhance the flavor of the food. 

But while some other restaurants go with more expensive seasonings, Bob Evans on the whole doesn’t go the fancy route. Instead, they generally opt for more common seasonings such as salt. While this may not please nutritionists with the high sodium content of many of the menu items, the salt keeps the flavor from being bland, while it also helps to keep prices down. 

While too little salt can lead to bland, boring dishes (as everyone on a low-sodium diet knows perfectly well), too much salt can overpower a dish. Bob Evans really knows to use just enough salt, though. And it’s not the only chain restaurant that relies on salt perhaps just a bit too much. After all, the restaurant industry in general is notorious for using a lot of salt. 

No Franchises

Franchising is a very common practice in growing a chain restaurant’s number of locations. But that’s not the system with Bob Evans. Basically, every Bob Evans location is owned by the company. 

The main reason for this is that it gives the mother company a lot more freedom in running the businesses and the properties. There are no rent hikes to worry about. It saves them a lot of hassle along the way, and it also saves them a lot of money, too. And they can pass on these savings to their diners. 

Final Word

It is, of course, generally true that you get your money’s worth. You get what you pay for. No one’s saying that Bob Evans will get a Michelin star anytime soon. And these places aren’t exactly offering super-healthy dishes. 

Still, you do get a lot of value for your money. The Fork-Tender Pot Roast is fantastic, and yet it only costs $11.54. In fact, no single dish here will cost you too much over $13. Now that’s a real bargain!