2004 Consumers' Choice in Chains | Steakhouse: Ruth's Chris Steak House

By Staff -- Restaurants & Institutions, 9/1/2004

2004 Consumers’ Choice in Chains
STEAKHOUSE > RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE

As customers go, the cabdriver who transported Ruth’s Chris President and CEO Craig Miller to the airport on a steamy July morning means as much as the more-affluent guests who visit the upscale steakhouse chain multiple times a week. Without fail, the cabdriver told Miller, he takes his wife to the restaurant every year on her birthday, and visits on their anniversary as well.

“He’s a two-time-a-year user, but he’s a fantastic customer for us,” Miller says, acknowledging the large segment of his clientele that cites the concept as a favorite special-occasion spot.

$22,000 Amount for which Founder Ruth Fertel mortgaged her home in 1965 to purchase the Chris Steak House in New Orleans, which she renamed Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Named to the top spot at the steakhouse chain in March, Miller is ready to bring that appeal of white-tablecloth dining with a twist of Southern hospitality to a new audience. The 89-unit chain once again is seeking franchisees for expansion after about five years of slow growth through existing partners.

As the brand stretches across the nation, Ruth’s Chris has a formula to maintain the exceptional standards that handily won the Choice in Chains service category: mandated staffing levels that translate into about one labor hour devoted to every guest.

“I compare it to high-end cruise lines and the number of employees they staff per guest,” Miller says.

A 40-year industry veteran, Miller believes he can grow the $328 million business into a billion-dollar brand. It’s a lofty goal, but Ruth’s Chris operates with an advantage likely to propel it forward: a first-rate reputation that helped boost it not only to the top of the steakhouse ranks, but to the No. 1 overall score among all segment competitors for the very first time.

Headquarters Metairie, La. CEO Craig Miller Units 89 Check average $56.00 (est.) Respondents aware of chain1 33% Respondents who visited in previous 12 months1 4% Guests who would go back2 86% Average loyalty (would go back) for chains in this segment 84% Key region South Widest attribute lead Cleanliness (1) Base is all respondents; (2) base is 12-month patrons.

 

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