Exhibit 99

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        Contact: Donald J. Radkoski or
July 28, 2004                                         Mary Cusick (614) 491-2225

                         BOB EVANS FARMS, INC. ANNOUNCES
            $190 MILLION PRIVATE PLACEMENT OF UNSECURED SENIOR NOTES

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (Nasdaq: BOBE) announced today that it
completed a private placement of $190 million original principal amount of
unsecured senior notes.

The notes were issued pursuant to a Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of July
28, 2004, with the purchasers of the notes. The notes were issued in four
series, including $30 million original principal amount of Series A Notes which
bear interest at 3.74 percent annually and mature on July 28, 2007; $40 million
original principal amount of Series B Notes which bear interest at 4.61 percent
annually and mature on July 28, 2010; $95 million original principal amount of
Series C Notes which bear interest at 5.12 percent annually and mature on July
28, 2014; and $25 million original principal amount of Series D Notes which bear
interest at 5.67 percent annually and mature on July 28, 2016. The notes are not
convertible and may be prepaid in whole or in part at any time, subject to the
payment of a make-whole amount described in the Note Purchase Agreement. The
company and its subsidiaries are also subject to covenants, including financial
covenants, customary for this type of transaction as described in the Note
Purchase Agreement.

In connection with the company's recent acquisition of SWH Corporation (d/b/a
Mimi's Cafe), the company borrowed approximately $183 million under a bridge
loan agreement with National City Bank. The net proceeds of the offering of the
notes will be used to repay in full the company's outstanding indebtedness under
the bridge loan agreement and for general corporate purposes.

The notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (the
"Securities Act") or any state securities law and were offered in a private
placement solely to accredited investors in reliance on Section 4(2) of the
Securities Act. Unless so registered, the notes may not be offered or sold in
the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities law.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to
buy any of the notes. Additional information regarding the issuance of the notes
can be found in a Form 8-K to be filed by the company with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.




Bob Evans Farms, Inc. owns and operates 559 Bob Evans Restaurants in 20 states,
primarily in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United
States; nine Owens Restaurants in Texas; and 81 Mimi's Cafe restaurants in 10
states, primarily in California and other western states. The company is also a
leading producer and distributor of pork sausage and a variety of complementary
homestyle convenience food items under the Bob Evans and Owens brand names. For
more information about the company, visit its Web site at www.bobevans.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

The statements contained in this news release which are not historical fact are
"forward-looking statements" that involve various important assumptions, risks,
uncertainties and other factors which could cause the company's actual results
for fiscal 2005 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed in such
forward-looking statements. These important factors include, without limitation,
changes in hog costs, the possibility of severe weather conditions where the
company operates its restaurants, the availability and cost of acceptable new
restaurant sites, shortages of restaurant labor, acceptance of the company's
restaurant concepts into new geographic areas, accurately assessing the value,
future growth potential, strengths, weaknesses, contingent and other liabilities
and potential profitability of Mimi's Cafe, unanticipated changes in business
and economic conditions affecting Mimi's Cafe, as well as other risks previously
disclosed in the company's securities filings and press releases.


                                      -30-