Who Owns Ruth's Chris Steak House?

Ruth's Chris Steak House was founded in 1965 by Ruth Fertel, a single mother and former laboratory technician who saw an advertisement for a restaurant called Chris Steak House in New Orleans, Louisiana. Despite having no restaurant experience, Fertel mortgaged her home for $22,000 to purchase the restaurant. Her bank initially refused to lend her the money, believing a woman with no restaurant experience could not succeed, but she persisted and secured the financing.

Fertel transformed the small restaurant through hard work and attention to quality, focusing on serving USDA Prime beef cooked at extremely high temperatures (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit) and served on 500-degree plates with sizzling butter. This cooking method and presentation became the brand's signature and a key differentiator from other steakhouses. The sizzling plate presentation, which keeps the steak hot throughout the meal, became so associated with Ruth's Chris that it is now a defining element of the brand experience.

When a fire destroyed the original location in 1976, Fertel was prohibited by her purchase agreement from using the Chris Steak House name at a new location. She solved this problem by adding her own name to the brand, creating "Ruth's Chris Steak House" — a name that has puzzled and charmed customers ever since.

The company began franchising in the 1970s and grew steadily across the United States, becoming one of America's premier upscale steakhouse chains. Ruth Fertel remained actively involved in the business until her death in 2002. The company went public in 2005 under the ticker RUTH on NASDAQ, raising capital for continued expansion.

Under public company ownership, Ruth's Chris expanded internationally, opening locations in Canada, Mexico, Asia, and the Middle East. By the time of the Darden acquisition, the chain operated approximately 150 locations worldwide, including both company-owned and franchised restaurants.

In June 2023, Darden Restaurants acquired Ruth's Chris Hospitality Group for approximately $715 million, adding the premium steakhouse brand to its portfolio alongside The Capital Grille and Eddie V's in the fine dining segment.