Ruth's Chris Steak House
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| Ruth's Chris Steak House, Inc. | |
 |
|
| Type | Public (NASDAQ: RUTH) |
|---|---|
| Founded | In 1965 at Broad Street in New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Headquarters | Heathrow, Florida, USA |
| Key people | Craig S. Miller, Chairman & CEO |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Products | Food service |
| Revenue |  $214.5 million USD (2005) |
| Slogan | Just Follow the Sizzle |
| Website | ruthschris.com |
Ruth's Chris Steak House (NASDAQ: RUTH) is a chain of 103 steakhouses[1] across the United States and around the world, most known today for being an upscale attraction, a departure from the prices in the chain as recently as twenty years ago. The restaurant's signature is serving "Prime" Steaks that are seared at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit (1000°C) and served on plates heated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260°C).[citation needed] One ounce (30 g) of butter is added just before the plates leave the kitchen to make them sizzle.[citation needed]
The chain was founded by the late Ruth Fertel, a single mother of two, in 1965, after she bought the existing Chris Steak House in New Orleans. In buying the restaurant, Fertel had to agree that the restaurant keep the "Chris" name for a specified period of time. After the original location sustained a kitchen fire, she relocated the restaurant about 1/2 mile (1 km) to the west on Broad Street and renamed the rebuilt establishment "Ruth's Chris" (under her purchase agreement, the name Chris Steak House could not be used at any other location, and she did not want to lose customers already familiar with the Chris name). Fertel started to franchise the restaurant in the 1970s.
The chain has received paid endorsements from several celebrities, including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, who says it is his favorite restaurant.
In 2005 Hurricane Katrina devastated Greater New Orleans (see: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans) and the chain moved its corporate headquarters to Orlando, Florida. No plans to move back to the New Orleans area have been announced. Like most business in the city, two of the chain's locations in the Greater New Orleans area were forced to close because of the storm. The Metairie, Louisiana location has since reopened. The corporate offices quickly announced that the old flagship Ruth's Chris on Broad Street is closed for good and that they had no plans to reopen any facilities in the city.
On November 29, 2006 Craig Miller, CEO of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, hinted at opening a restaurant on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain and possibly one in a hotel in New Orleans, maybe on Canal Street, New Orleans sometime in the future.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.ruthschris.com/news/details.php?id=89
- ^ Walker, Bo. "Blog for Nov 29 2006 Am", Clear Channel, 2006-11-29. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
