Ruth's Chris Steak House

My most interesting restaurant visit ever.

For our 15th wedding anniversary, we decided to go to someplace special.  We had never been to Ruth's Chris before and wanted to try someplace nice.

Upon arrival, our online reservation was in their system and the restaurant was ready for us.  The hostesses were very sweet, took our coats for the coat check, then seated us promptly.  The girl who sat us was friendly on the walk to the table.  She asked us if we had been there before and if we were there for a special occasion.  We informed her of our anniversary and as we sat she told us that Jennifer would be our server.

Ten minutes later, a busboy type stopped at our table to fill our water goblets.  Meanwhile, since we were seated on an aisle, staff continued to walk past us over and over going to other tables.

Ten minutes after that another person brought us bread.

At that point, having sat for 20 minutes without being acknowledged, we made a decision to leave.  As this restaurant is considered to be a fine dining experience and this was a special occasion, it was beyond offensive to be ignored and disregarded for as long as we had been.  

As we were getting our coats back from the hostesses, we informed them how we had been ignored since our arrival and that was why we were leaving.

We sat in our car for 10 minutes deciding where to go next.  The manager or staff had ample time to come get us and/or apologize.

As a postscript, while at our next restaurant, an hour later the manager of Ruth's Chris called my wife's cell phone.  Since she had made the reservation online they had her cell number.  Too upset with the experience, we didn't take the call.

We went there for my Birthday Dinner, the web site and FaceBook site said they had a promotion going for an 8oz. Lobster Tail and 6oz. filet for $46.85. When we asked about it due to it was not on the menu. The server said that was a corporate thing and it was not available at this location. If it is a corporate thing than why would it not be corporate wide? The website and Facebook did not say...only at certain locations. I thought it was false advertising on their part. Kinda put a knotch in my Birthday dinner.

Not our first visit to RC, took our son here for his HS Graduation celebration dinner...I "thought" they had a dress code and expectations for clientele behavior when you are expecting your patrons to shell out above average coin for a meal.  Customers walking throughout the restaurant with their kids looking like they literally just came from the beach, flip flops, baseball caps, shorts and t-shirts, and let's not forget the three twenty something ladies (we'll call them that) who apparently one lost her babysitter for the evening so had to bring her toddler who sat on her lap screeching for most of our meal, while they drank martinis and carrying on all night.   .For such a "classy" joint I kept expecting a manager at some poing to ask them to leave or shut their kid up :-) but neither happened. Waiter was nice but way too speedy, trying to get us in and out to turn his tables it was apparent. I had to tell him "we are NOT in a hurry tonight" .  Granted all would be acceptabe if we were at a Chili's or Applebees, but a Ruth's Chris????  Cmon', we dropped over $200 for this meal and the atmosphere made it completely a marginal at best experience.  The only conclusion I can make of this is that they are hurting for business and have lowered their standards for dress code and customer behavior because they don't want to turn away ANY business, but RC in the long run it's going to cost you business because people like us will go elsewhere unless we want to go the bar for a quck drink, otherwise we probably won't be back to dine anytime soon.