Mimi’s Café is extending its “Value Revolution” positioning with the debut of Mimi’s My Way 1-2-3.
The offer lets customers build a two- or three-course meal consisting of one full-price entrée with soup or salad for an additional $2, or a soup or salad with a Petite Dessert for an additional $3.
Two-course meal options include garden or Caesar salad or a cup of soup: café corn chowder, French onion, roasted tomato and basil bisque, or one of seven soups that change daily.
Petite Dessert options for the three-course meal include bread pudding, apple cinnamon crisp, a triple chocolate brownie or chocolate mousse.
“Our guests know and love us for a variety of dinner favorites,” said Mark Mears, president and chief concept officer of 145-unit Mimi’s Café. “We also know times are tight and that dining out at dinner has become more challenging in this economy. While other restaurants lure guests with meal deals that offer only limited selections of appetizers, entrees and dessert combinations, Mimi’s My Way 1-2-3 offers ultimate guest flexibility.”
Mimi’s My Way is just one value offering the chain has deployed to compete with other casual-dining discounts, like Chili’s and Applebee’s $20-for-two offers.
Earlier this year, Mimi’s rolled out Family Meals to Go, a menu of 10 meals for $25 that serve four to five people and intended to drive the chain’s carryout business. Mimi’s Café Express Lunch offers a soup and salad for $6.99, or a half sandwich and soup or salad for $8.49, delivered within 15 minutes.
Other value offers include $8 wine flights during happy hour and Seasonal Tour de France options, like a two-course lunch for $10.99 and a three-course dinner for $13.99.
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The company initiated the “Value Revolution” to reverse falling same-store sales at Mimi’s Café. For the most recent first quarter of fiscal 2012, same-store sales fell 4.8 percent at Mimi’s, after declining 4.5 percent for all of fiscal 2011.
Irvine, Calif.-based Mimi’s is a subsidiary of Columbus, Ohio-based Bob Evans Farms Inc. Mimi’s Café restaurants are located in 24 states.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected]penton.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @Mark_from_NRN