On November 14, 2022, I decided to take a trip to none other than Bob Evans. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, it’s still open? Well, I’m here to tell you that yes, it truly exists.

When we walked inside, we were struck with the smell of bacon grease and dirty dish rags but hopes were still high. I looked around and there was not a person inside, staff included. Suddenly I saw two servers and one came to greet us and show us to our table. We were the only table in the restaurant. Our drink orders were taken and then we looked at the menu.

There was a variety of choices on the menu from breakfast to dinner options. While looking at the menu, I noticed that there was patriotic music playing very faintly in the store, very American. I ended up deciding on the farmers choice which included 2 eggs, 3 pancakes, hash browns, and bacon. After I had placed my order, I observed my surroundings of the store. It was carpeted, which may have explained the dirty dish rag smell, and there was still not a single soul in the restaurant. After about twenty minutes or so, the food arrived.

When I got my food, I realized that more than half of it was burnt and my eggs were undercooked. Everything was also very bland, so I had to use a lot of salt. My friend ordered a sirloin steak with mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and a side of dressing. Her steak was entirely fat, her potatoes were ice cold, and her broccoli was soggy. My hopes were slowly diminishing. My other friend’s BLT was okay. In her words, “the bacon and the fries were the only thing I enjoyed.” We continued to eat what we could and it was surprisingly okay. Then came dessert.

For dessert, I ordered the famous ‘Holy Cow Cake,’ and my friends ordered apple pie a-la-mode and pecan pie a-la-mode. Our waitress brought out our desserts and after seeing them, my hopes hit the floor. The cake I ordered was freezer burnt and I found a strip of plastic inside. My friends seemed to have no complaints except one didn’t receive ice cream and one received very little ice cream. When our waitress came back around, I showed her the piece of plastic and she said “oh, okay” and walked away. I was extremely disappointed with how things were handled. 

All in all, we got what we paid for. The wait staff was very sweet but management was rude to surrounding customers. I was definitely the youngest person in the building. The food didn’t live up to expectations but I had a fun time, and I learned that the first Bob Evans opened in Ohio in 1948. I would rate this outdated restaurant experience a 3/10.