The company made several major acquisitions, including Owens Country Sausage in 1987, and was split in January 2017 with the sale of its restaurant division to an affiliate of Golden Gate Capital.

The distribution of these products, sold under the Bob Evans and Owens Country Sausage brand names, was independent of the restaurant division.

[7] and by 1992 Bob Evans owned and operated 261 restaurants in 16 states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, South Carolina, Missouri, Maryland, New York, Virginia and Texas, with food products retailed in 26 states and the District of Columbia.

[citation needed] In July 2004, Bob Evans Farms purchased the California-based Mimi's Cafe restaurant chain (operating under SWH Corporation) for $182 million.

[citation needed] In an effort to update the company's image, Bob Evans debuted a new prototype design at their restaurant location in Xenia, Ohio, on August 17, 2009.

[14][15] Its architecture and interior design drew inspiration from the Bob Evans family farm in southern Ohio in a way that the company called a "contemporary and relevant twist".

In addition to the restaurants, Golden Gate Capital also took ownership of the Bob Evans Farm in Bidwell, Ohio, near Rio Grande.

[18][19] Both the sale of the restaurant division to Golden Gate Capital and the purchase of Pineland Farms Potato Company closed on March 1, 2017.

[22] Post Holdings also announced that upon completion of the acquisition, they would combine their existing Michael Foods refrigerated retail business with that of Bob Evans Farms.

Bob Evans Farms foodservice business would be moved to Michael Foods, and led by division president Jim Dwyer.