RISE - Menu Monitor

Mimi's Cafe
Headquarters
17852 E. 17 St. South Building Suite 108, Tustin, California 92780 USA
Tel: (714)544-4826 Fax: (714)544-7663
www.mimiscafe.com
Ownership: Private
Segment: Full Service Varied Menu
System Characteristics 2006 2005 2004
U.S. Systemwide Sales ($000) 355,000 316,000 280,000
Company-owned ($000) 355,000 316,000 280,000
Franchised ($000) - - -
U.S. Number of Units 108 96 85
Company-owned 108 96 85
Franchised - - -
International Sales ($000) - - -
International Units - - -
Average Sales/Unit ($000) 3,475 3,425 3,400
Concept Positioning |
Mimi’s Café is a casual-dining chain of family-oriented restaurants styled after the cafes of Paris and New Orleans. Open for
breakfast, lunch and dinner, its largest daypart is dinner, which accounts for nearly half its total volume. Bob Evans is the
owner and operator of Mimi’s Café’s 81 units.
All freestanding Mimi’s units average 6,500 sq. ft. with seating for approximately 200–225 guests. Takeout service is offered. A
lively ambiance is created with striped awnings, brass and iron artifacts, bright curtains, checkered tablecloths and tiles, and
used brick. Over the past decade, the company has undertaken a remodeling program to update its look and broaden its
appeal. Units with the newer prototype have antique stone floors, brick walls and beamed ceilings. In addition, the heavy use
of pastel color schemes in the dining rooms has been changed to earth tones with primary color accents. Interior remodeling
has increased sales by 10-15%. Mimi's Café targets only cities and sites that fit its customers’ demographics of 35–64-year-old
couples in suburban surroundings. A recent expansion push has shifted advertising away from its previous female-customer
focus to a broader consumer base.
The first Mimi's opened in Anaheim, CA, in 1978. Co-founder Arthur Simms named the chain after a woman he met and fell in
love with during World War II, a French girl named Mimi. Simms and his son Tom, along with partners Paul Kurz and Brian
Taylor, developed the concept and modeled it after the French Quarter in New Orleans. In 1994, the chain brought on an
equity partner in order to grow without franchising. Since its initial expansion plans in 1994, Mimi's has experienced 20%
growth each year. In June 2004, Bob Evans completed an acquisition of SWH Corp., Mimi's parent company. Bob Evans
purchased the chain for $182 million. The company has not disclosed future expansion plans.
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