Our founder, Ruth Fertel, purchased a restaurant called Chris Steak House in May of 1965 in New Orleans. Ruth had never planned to expand, but after a fierce kitchen fire decimated the property she was forced to relocate in order to stay in business. Within ten days Ruth had the restaurant up and running. But the Chris Steak House name was not allowed to move with it. With little time and a mischievous smile, Ruth added her own name to the sign, making it “Ruth’s Chris Steak House.” Now with her own name in lights the tongue-twisting name was born. Later Ruth admitted the name was strange, but she managed to work around it.

Fifty years ago in New Orleans—one of America’s most culturally rich cities—Ruth Fertel, a single working mother looking to provide a better life for her two sons, browsed the “Classifieds” section of the Times-Picayune. She spotted an ad reading “Steak House for Sale.” Driven by an inherent entrepreneurial spirit, she mortgaged her home to purchase Chris’ Steak House on the corner of North Broad St. and Ursulines in New Orleans. Even though she had no restaurant experience, her intelligence and drive to succeed enabled her to become a successful business owner and eventually to lead the company to become the largest upscale steak house in the world.

Ruth worked and lived by the mantra, "Do what you love, love what you do." She had the reputation of being a driven, hard-working person who never met a challenge not worth overcoming. Ruth was successful because of her strong work ethic and keen ability to understand her guests.

Ruth had a certain way of doing things. How to run a restaurant. How to treat people. How to handcraft the perfect cocktail and how to maintain the best wine list in town. Of course, Ruth was a stickler for sourcing only the top 2% of the country’s beef and serving the best steak on a 500° sizzling plate (that’s so it would stay warm through the very last bite). She also insisted on making things fresh in-house daily, from fresh-squeezed juices for handcrafted cocktails to her own famous sides and desserts. Often, people would ask Ruth why her food was so good, and she’d simply say, “Just follow the recipe.” We invite you to experience how Ruth’s timeless recipe is alive and well to this day.

Learn More About Ruth Fertel

At Ruth’s Chris we promote a comfortable, family friendly and welcoming atmosphere for everyone. We ask Guests to support this atmosphere by not wearing

• Clothing with offensive graphics or language
• Exposed undergarments, cut-off shorts and tank tops
• We kindly ask all Guests to remove hats when entering
• Hats and team support jerseys are welcome in our bar and patio areas

• At Ruth’s Chris we promote a comfortable, family friendly and welcoming atmosphere for everyone. We ask Guests to support this atmosphere by not wearing clothing with offensive graphics or language, exposed undergarments, cut-off shorts and tank tops. Formal hats such as fascinators or cocktail hats are permitted in the main dining room. We kindly ask all Guests to remove ball caps when entering. Ball caps and team support jerseys are welcome in our bar and patio areas.

• To maintain our service experience, we request all Guests in a party arrive prior to being seated. There is a 15-minute grace period for late arrivals. Should you need to cancel a reservation, please call the restaurant and let us know. 

• We will not tolerate verbal or physical abuse of any kind toward our Team Members or other Guests in the restaurant. Guests who do not follow this guideline will be asked to leave the restaurant.

• We kindly ask phone and video call conversations be taken outside out of respect for those dining around you.  

• Please notify your server of any allergies you or someone in your party may have so we can accommodate. 

As we open our doors for dine-in experiences, nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our guests and team members. We've taken additional measures to ensure our restaurants remain a safe and comfortable place for you to enjoy warm hospitality and sizzling steaks.

• Adjusted our floor plans, providing more space between tables.
• Equipped our team with face coverings for your safety.
• Heightened training to ensure our team uses proper hand-washing practices.
• Enhanced the rigorous cleaning and food safety standards we've always practiced.
• Adjusted our service to limit the interactions you have with our team members.
• Made digital, contactless versions of our menu for browsing on your smartphone.

We will always try our best to accommodate any special requests to make your evening more memorable. Because some of our locations have limited availability, please call the restaurant in advance to make sure your request is noted for your reservation and please confirm when checking in at the host stand upon arrival.

Many of our locations offer Happy Hour. Please select your local Ruth’s Chris to find specific Happy Hour offerings and hours.

Check Your Local Ruth's Chris

We do allow our guest to bring their own wine at select locations. Please contact the restaurant you plan to visit to see if they allow and obtain corkage fee pricing.

Contact Your Local Ruth's Chris

Reservations are recommended, but not required. Please call the location you wish to visit to make and confirm your reservations. You can also make your reservations online.

Reserve a Table Now

Ruth's Chris is the best place to celebrate life's special moments, big or small. Whether it’s a romantic steak dinner for two, an important business meeting or a private party, Ruth’s Chris Steak House can accommodate your needs.

Contact Your Local Ruth's Chris

We offer lunch at a variety of locations. Please select your local Ruth’s Chris to find specific lunch offerings and hours.

Find Your Local Ruth's Chris

Ruth’s Chris Steak House has over 140 locations worldwide and our menu and prices vary slightly by geographic location. We recommend contacting your preferred location directly in order to get most accurate and up-to-date pricing and menu information.

Contact Your Local Ruth's Chris

Yes, we do offer a children’s menu. Selections may vary by location, so please contact your local Ruth’s Chris to find specific offerings.

All bar seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Our popular Sizzle, Swizzle, Swirl happy hour seating is limited in some locations due to bar size, so we recommend checking in with the hostess to see if there is a wait list.

Find a Participating Location

At Ruth’s Chris Steak House, we're proud to serve the highest quality USDA Prime beef supplied to us by nationally recognized premium beef suppliers. Our steaks are Prime or high cuts of Choice, corn-fed Midwestern beef. They are first fed on grass then switched to corn in order to get the flavor and quality that meet our standards. We are fully confident in the strict quality and safety standards and practices employed by our beef suppliers as well as the USDA. Our suppliers fully comply with the rigorous grading, ratings, testing and quality controls of the USDA, which thus ensures the highest possible level of safety for our guests. When you dine at Ruth's Chris, you can be sure that you're getting the highest quality beef available.

Yes, we do offer a gluten-free menu. The items available are either gluten-free as prepared, or are modified to be gluten-free. Please keep in mind that our kitchens are not gluten-free, but every attempt is made to meet your needs. If you have an allergy or dietary concern, please contact the restaurant before your reservation time or ask to speak with a manager or chef upon arrival.

Yes, we do offer vegetarian options. Whether it’s a specialty vegetarian entrée or one of the many vegetarian side selections from our menu, we have it taken care of. If you're considering visiting one of our restaurants and have specific dietary questions, please contact the restaurant before your reservation time and inquire about any changes that can be made to your meal.

We currently have six recipes that are available to our guests: Barbecued Shrimp, Bread Pudding, Creamed Spinach, Sweet Potato Casserole, Crab Cakes and Fresh Mozzarella & Kumato Tomato Salad. Please speak with a Ruth’s Chris team member to get more information.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House takes great pride in being engaged and supportive within its local communities. If you are interested in partnering with Ruth's for your upcoming event or are in need of a contribution for charitable purposes, please reach out to your local restaurant General Manager as they work directly in each community. Please understand not all requests can be honored due to the amount of requests we receive.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House gift cards can be purchased on our website or in person at any of our Ruth’s Chris locations. Gift cards never expire and may be used at any of our U.S. and International locations.

Yes, you can add a personalized greeting on the gift card carrier. Please note that it will be sent exactly as typed so pay extra care when entering your message.

You will be prompted to include your email address during the order process. Once your order has been placed, you will be sent a copy of your order which will also serve as your receipt. If you do not receive an email confirmation, please contact us here.

Yes – you will have the option during the order process to ship the gift card to yourself or your recipient.

If the order was sent using standard US mail service, look for a white envelope bearing a Ruth’s Chris return address. If the order was sent Priority or Overnight, the card(s) will come in a priority or overnight envelope.

Please submit a request here for purchases of $10,000 or more.

Gift cards are non-refundable except in states where required by law.

To contact a gift card specialist by phone, please call +1-877-354-7884 Ext 3. Inquires are received and responded to Monday - Friday 9am-6pm EST