Many people ask us "Who is Mimi?" The answer to that question is part of the colorful history of the Simms family, who founded Mimis Cafe in Anaheim, CA in 1978.

Former Mimis CEO Tom Simms graduated from University of California at Santa Barbara 1970. He studied aeronautics with dreams of following his father as an Air Force pilot. But his fascination with his father's restaurant business won out.

Tom often heard stories about his father's colorful life. In World War II, Arthur J. Simms was a pilot, flying dangerous spy missions over occupied Europe. After the war, he began his restaurant career in Chicago but soon headed out to Hollywood. He ran the commissary at the MGM Studios in the 1950s, feeding the likes of Clark Gable, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. It was at MGM that he learned that the key to success in restaurants was treating everyone like a star.


Soon Tom began talking with his father about creating their own unique niche in the restaurant business. At the time, a restaurant was either a dinner house or a coffee shop. Tom felt they should take the best assets of each type of restaurant and combine them. Then they could provide the quality, ambiance and personal service of a dinner house, with the convenience and great value of a coffee shop.

All they needed was a name. Arthur J. solved the problem when he told them the story of a young woman he met at the end of World War II. Toward the end of the war, he was with the Allied troops liberating a small town near Versailles. The war had been hard on that town, and for the celebration that night, all they could come up with was champagne and artichoke hearts.

The champagne and freedom were enough for a great celebration, but Arthur J., never one to do anything halfway, also fell in love that night. Her name was Mimi. The war soon pulled them apart, but Arthur J. never forgot her. The partners all agreed that the name Mimi would be a fitting tribute to her, and it is Mimi that continues to inspire the colorful French touches seen in each restaurant today.

The newly christened Mimis Cafe was everything they had done before - and more. They built a country cottage with European decor but also with a splash of Mardi Gras fun and color. They served hearty portions of great-tasting, fresh food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And most important, they staffed the restaurant with friendly, smiling people to attend to your every need. It did so well that they opened another the next year, and the next, and the next! By 1993 they were up to 16 restaurants and Tom decided they were ready to open more than one a year. Mimis Cafe was so popular in California, they eventually expanded to Arizona, Texas, Colorado-and just kept going east! In 2006, Mimis Cafe proudly opened its 100th restaurant in Atlanta, GA.

Today, a new Mimis Cafe opens almost every month. Improvements are constantly being made in all areas of the restaurant, including antique stone floors, brick walls, wood floors and beamed ceilings. Vibrant, New Orleans colors, jazzy art and bold fabrics go together to create visual excitement and a feeling of a Mardi Gras celebration in each restaurant!

Mimis Cafe was aquired by Bob Evans Farms, Inc., in 2004, retaining the same values and traditions that its founders started in 1978.

Sadly, larger-than-life Arthur J. passed away in October of 2000 at the age of 82, and  Tom Simms stepped down in 2005 to pursue other ventures.