Arthur J. Simms (who headed the commissary at MGM Studios in the 1950s), his son Thomas Simms, Brian Taylor, and Paul Kurz opened the first Mimi's Cafe in December 1978 in Anaheim, California. Bob Evans Farms, Inc. purchased the Mimi's Cafe restaurant chain (operating under SWH Corporation) in July 2004 for USD$182 million.[4] Mimi's Cafe was sold to the U.S. branch of Groupe Le Duff, which also owns the La Madeleine restaurants, in February 2013.[5][6]
History
Mimi's Bistro + Bakery is a wholly owned subsidiary of LeDuff America and was founded as Mimi's Cafe by American airman Arthur Simms, who was stationed in France during World War II. He named the restaurant after a French woman he met in a party after the liberation of the country.[7] In July 2019, the company re-branded as Mimi's Bistro + Bakery in order to "reflect the company’s desire to make Mimi’s a destination restaurant, where diners can sit down for a leisurely experience over food and affordable wine."[8]
^"SWH Corporation History". Funding Universe. originally published in the International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 70. St. James Press, 2005. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
