The 146-unit Mimi’s Café chain has overhauled its menu across all three dayparts and added a selection of small plates.
Mimi’s, a subsidiary of Columbus, Ohio-based Bob Evans Farms Inc., said Monday that it has added more than 40 new items during breakfast, lunch and dinner, including an expanded “Gourmet Franais” section that emphasizes the brand’s French influences, a number of lighter dishes under a “Fresh & Fit” category and all-day breakfast items.
Irvine, Calif.-based Mimi's is among a number of restaurant chains that have reworked their menus in recent months, including Ruby Tuesday, Pat & Oscar’s, Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Romano’s Macaroni Grill.
The small plate menu trend has also proven a traffic driver at Mimi’s competitors such as The Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen.
Mimi’s new Small Plates menu features 10 tapas-style dishes designed for “sharing and pairing,” the chain said. Offerings include crispy Crab Fritters with crabmeat, spinach and artichoke hearts served with a citrus remoulade; and a hummus sampler served with baked whole-wheat flatbread chips and cucumbers.
The Gourmet Franais section, previously available at breakfast, has been added to lunch and dinner with options such as a Pacific Croissant filled with scrambled eggs, garlic spinach, bacon, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, avocado and basil pesto aioli. At lunch, new baguette sandwiches include turkey, albacore tuna salad and barbecued pulled pork. At dinner, additions include chicken brie Dijon, a roasted chicken crepe, beef Bourguignon and a quiche with asparagus and Brie.
For guests counting calories, the Fresh & Fit menu includes options with 650 calories or fewer. The California Crunch Salad, for example, has 578 calories and includes baby greens, pistachios, walnuts, sliced almonds and seasonal fruit topped with a fat-free balsamic vinaigrette. The Grilled Veggie Flatbread at 475 calories includes a whole-wheat flatbread filled with zucchini, red onions, mushrooms, red peppers, tomatoes and hummus with baby greens and balsamic vinaigrette.
Also new are desserts including a Key Lime Cheesecake Bar with a graham-cracker crust, key lime custard and strawberry sauce. New beverages include Mimi’s Berry Pom Lemonade and Berry Pom Smoothie, both made with pomegranate juice.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
