DES MOINES, IOWA – A longtime partnership between Bob Evans Inc. and the National Pork Board is paying off for the company’s chain of restaurants. Bob Evans restaurants have featured many pork entrées in the past year, including baby-back ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, cranberry apple pork loin and the new Biscuit Bowls filled with bacon and sausage.

“Bob Evans has a reputation for high-quality pork products, so incorporating pork within new platforms and menu items is a natural fit,” said Angie Homan, restaurant marketing manager for Bob Evans Farm Inc. “We appreciate the Pork Checkoff’s support for our restaurants’ seasonal promotions that feature pork products, and also most recently for their culinary support in developing future platform ideas.”

In 1948, Bob Evans got its start when the company’s founder, Bob Evans, began making sausage on his southeastern Ohio farm to serve at a small diner he owned in nearby Gallipolis, Ohio.

“We served a lot of breakfasts, but we couldn't get any decent sausage,” Bob said reflecting on the company’s history. “I decided to start making my own from hogs raised right on our farm, using all the best parts of the hog, including the hams and tenderloins.”

Ultimately, the partnership between the Pork Checkoff and Bob Evans Restaurants many years ago continues to grow stronger, Ms. Homan said. Bob Evans executives welcomed the National Pork Board members to Columbus, Ohio, earlier this year where they met Bob Evans’ team members at the company’s corporate headquarters.

Bob Evans’s leaders, in a show of gratitude, presented the National Pork Board and Howard Greenblatt, national foodservice marketing manager for the Pork Checkoff, with a Gentleman Farmer’s Deed, which covers 1 square foot of land on the Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande, Ohio.

“I was shocked by this honor,” said Mr. Greenblatt. “Bob Evans’ restaurants are always looking for innovative items for their menu, and we’re glad to see that their restaurants have achieved excellent results with their various pork promotions.”