FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
In 1965, a time when most women couldn’t even apply for a bank card without their husband’s signature, our founder Ruth Fertel risked it all and mortgaged her home to buy a small steak house in New Orleans.
As a single mom with two boys, Ruth taught herself the restaurant business, endured countless challenges and, in the process, redefined hospitality.
When a kitchen fire destroyed Chris Steak House in 1976, Ruth was forced to relocate her business, but the Chris Steak House name wasn’t allowed to come along.
Short on time, Ruth improvised, adding her own name to the sign. That made it “Ruth’s Chris Steak House” and our legendary name was born.
Ruth made it work and did it her way. I used to hear both Rush and Sean Hannity raving about the steaks years back, when good talk shows were easy to find on the radio. Ruth died in 2002. Just looking at her photo, I get the idea that she had a dynamic personality and was a People Person, which is always ideal in the service industry.