# Ruth's Chris Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2015, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825 "2015-03-24T00:51:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/21 "2015-03-25T00:22:49Z")
Maybe another Chris can buy it and name it Chris’ Ruth’s Chris steakhouse. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/22 "2015-03-25T03:37:43Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Ruth’s Chris was never really that good, to begin with. And has a name right up there with “Jumbo Happy Clown Burger.” Beef prices have gone through the roof. I would not be surprised if even the upscale steak houses are having profitability/quality issues. People will only pay so much for traditional food. We went to an Outback recently, and while it was okay, the meat was on the light side and the prices were up. Bad days for cowvatarians… ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/23 "2015-03-25T04:41:27Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > They opened one in Santa Barbara and put a ton on money into it. It was a very ill conceived idea. This town is too small to support it and they chose a really stupid location. They also had the poor luck to open at the start of the last recession. It didn’t last very long and the space is still empty. Not particularly relevant, but that was a mindbogglingly bad choice of location. If that reflects on the quality of their decision making than I have no problem believing they’ve screwing up elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/24 "2015-03-25T04:45:26Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > . . . We went to an Outback recently, and while it was okay, the meat was on the light side and the prices were up. Bad days for cowvatarians… A friend of mine who’s a big steak fan said that the local (San Diego again) Outbacks are declining in quality. Their steaks just aren’t as good as they used to be. (This, I do not know, as I’m a “well-done” fan, and lots of people tell me you can’t be a real steak fan and have it well-done. What can I say? Char one!) ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/25 "2015-03-25T11:21:09Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Not particularly relevant, but that was a mindbogglingly bad choice of location. If that reflects on the quality of their decision making than I have no problem believing they’ve screwing up elsewhere. They were trying to make that whole center (semi-)upscale for some reason, couldn’t get rid of the Sears though. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/26 "2015-03-25T14:45:54Z")
> [@nani](#): > > They were trying to make that whole center (semi-)upscale for some reason, couldn’t get rid of the Sears though. That was the deal. And they somehow convinced Ruth’s Chris to anchor it. They booted out all of the low class joints as soon as the leases ran out and put in fancy places like Tiffany’s. As if tourists and people from Montecito are going to go all the way to fucking La Cumbre Plaza to shop. There was nothing they could do about that big nasty Sears at the end because the Sears Corporation owns that building. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/27 "2015-03-25T16:21:36Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > A friend of mine who’s a big steak fan said that the local (San Diego again) Outbacks are declining in quality. Their steaks just aren’t as good as they used to be. It’s been ages since I went to one, but once upon a time, didn’t the dinner menu at Outback include soup or salad, entree, potato, and a side all for one price? Last time we went, everything was a la carte, which made dinner crazy expensive. And, frankly, I found the steak to be overly salted. We don’t bother going any more. There’s a Texas Roadhouse a couple of miles down the road from Outback, and we’ve found we prefer the food there. I could do without the servers stopping periodically to dance, but whatever… ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/28 "2015-03-25T17:29:07Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > For several years we’ve been customers at the RC here in San Diego. Last few visits the service, and now the food seems to have dropped a notch. Various sites on the web claim revenue is down, which might be the culprit. Anyone heard or know anything about this? How would one find out the facts? I’d see if there have been some kind of chef/management changes at the local restaurant level. Those could account for both lesser service and lesser food, if the predecessor did a better job of hiring, quality control and/or sourcing. My suspicion is that it’s probably a local thing rather than a pervasive chain-wide problem. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/29 "2015-03-26T00:53:06Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Ruth’s Chris was never really that good, to begin with. Pittsburgh’s has always been hit or miss; not that I’ve ever been there much. But a friend who is almost a regular says they have been in this unpredictable “wave pattern” from the beginning going from “fantastic” to “why the Hell didn’t I go to the Pittsburgh Steak Company”. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/30 "2015-03-26T01:53:01Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > That was the deal. And they somehow convinced Ruth’s Chris to anchor it. They booted out all of the low class joints as soon as the leases ran out and put in fancy places like Tiffany’s. As if tourists and people from Montecito are going to go all the way to fucking La Cumbre Plaza to shop. There was nothing they could do about that big nasty Sears at the end because the Sears Corporation owns that building. That’s a crackup. “Let’s go to LensCrafters, Von’s, GNC and Sears. And to cap it all off, we’ll eat at Ruth’s Chris!” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/31 "2015-03-26T08:56:20Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > That’s a crackup. “Let’s go to LensCrafters, Von’s, GNC and Sears. And to cap it all off, we’ll eat at Ruth’s Chris!” The other side of the parking lot is a different property so it doesn’t count. See’s Candy had to move over to that ghetto. But yeah having Panda Express right across the lot wasn’t in the plus column. ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/32 "2015-03-26T09:10:34Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > That was the deal. And they somehow convinced Ruth’s Chris to anchor it. They booted out all of the low class joints as soon as the leases ran out and put in fancy places like Tiffany’s. As if tourists and people from Montecito are going to go all the way to fucking La Cumbre Plaza to shop. There was nothing they could do about that big nasty Sears at the end because the Sears Corporation owns that building. “Hope Ranch people! Hope Ranch people will save us!” Even the old Red Robin was kind of upscale for that place. I had a lot of good memories of La Cumbre growing up in SB. The Natural Wonders store was one of my favorite places to visit as a kid, they would make big sand castles there, and have Santa and all that. It’s pretty barren these days. Lots of people in Sears though 🙂 Back on topic, I keep hearing about this “Cheap is good, Expensive is good, middle is bad” thing affecting restaurants like Olive Garden and whatnot. While I’m sure it’s true, if Ruth’s Chris is trying to really ensconce themselves in the upper bracket and making dumb decisions like they did in Santa Barbara, that might explain some problems they have. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/33 "2015-03-26T20:10:08Z")
> [@nani](#): > > Back on topic, I keep hearing about this “Cheap is good, Expensive is good, middle is bad” thing affecting restaurants like Olive Garden and whatnot. While I’m sure it’s true, if Ruth’s Chris is trying to really ensconce themselves in the upper bracket and making dumb decisions like they did in Santa Barbara, that might explain some problems they have. Ruth’s Chris is a franchise outfit; so basically some knucklehead paid his cash and decided to open a franchise. I don’t know if the home office gets much in the way of say on where a franchisee decides to physically locate their restaurants. That said, I don’t know if the actual surrounding places have much to do with the perceived upscaleness of a restaurant. One of the nicer and higher-end steakhouses in Dallas is Bob’s Steak and Chop House… which shares a building with a lame looking window car accessories place, and is directly across the street from a KFC. Of course, it’s in a nice part of town, with a relatively established and high dollar clientele, and it’s not far from a lot of entertainment and drinking places. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/34 "2015-03-26T20:30:09Z")
> [@nani](#): > > Back on topic, I keep hearing about this “Cheap is good, Expensive is good, middle is bad” thing affecting restaurants like Olive Garden and whatnot. . Olive Garden is just plain bad. The name _Ruth’s Chris_ is just so mindnumbing I cant bring myself to eat there. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/35 "2015-03-26T21:06:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Olive Garden is just plain bad. Not necessarily. As with most chain restaurants (at least non-fast-food ones), the service and food quality vary quite a bit from location to location. My MIL liked Olive Garden, so we would eat at them on occasion, at various locations. Our closest one is actually pretty good, so I suspect the manager and/or head chef is on the ball. But we ate at quite a few really bad ones, too. I don’t eat at OG much anymore since my MIL passed away, so I’m mostly referencing several years ago. I’ve experienced the same significant difference at other chains such as Longhorn and Chili’s. Some are pretty good and some are bad. As for Ruth’s Chris, I think I’ve eaten at them twice… once many years ago and once a few months ago. The recent visit wasn’t nearly as good as I remember, but that could be due to a changed frame of reference, locational differences or a general decline in quality. One thing for sure… it was overpriced both times. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825/36 "2015-03-26T21:23:25Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > Not necessarily. As with most chain restaurants (at least non-fast-food ones), the service and food quality vary quite a bit from location to location. My MIL liked Olive Garden, so we would eat at them on occasion, at various locations. Our closest one is actually pretty good, so I suspect the manager and/or head chef is on the ball. But we ate at quite a few really bad ones, too. I don’t eat at OG much anymore since my MIL passed away, so I’m mostly referencing several years ago. > > I’ve experienced the same significant difference at other chains such as Longhorn and Chili’s. Some are pretty good and some are bad… This may well be true, as many complain about Outback but our two up in San Jose were quite good. In any case, I am not willing to risk it.😛 I did enjoy the ever-ending soup, salad and breadsticks, tho. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruths-chris-question/715825.md?page=1)