Defending slovenly attire? No, that's your takeaway. I would encourage respectable attire but not deceptive attire.
A suit is used as a disguise, giving a cover of legitimacy.
Posted on 03/28/2026 6:42:05 AM PDT by DoodleBob
Several years ago, I joined some friends on a trip to Mackinac Island, a place famous for its Victorian culture and ban on automobiles.
After bicycling around the island, we decided to splurge and have tea at The Grand Hotel, which is as polished as its name sounds. Before trooping in for tea, however, we stopped in a nearby restroom to exchange our sports clothes for something a little classier, for the hotel requires its patrons to dress up before entering its domain. Such a change was a bit of a bother, but in the long run, it made me value my experience far more. Because my outward appearance was more polished, my inward self could relax and savor both the food and my surroundings.
The good ol’ Grand Hotel isn’t alone in its dress standards anymore. Ruth’s Chris Steak House recently announced a new dress code for its patrons, posting the following on its website:
BUSINESS CASUAL – PROPER ATTIRE REQUIRED PLEASE.
Kindly remove all hats when entering the restaurant. Guests wearing ball caps are asked to dine in the bar/lounge.
The following attire is not permitted in our dining rooms:
Gym wear, pool attire, tank tops, clothing with offensive graphics or language, revealing clothing or exposed undergarments.
The famous steakhouse was mocked for these (rather minimal) standards by fellow restaurant chain Chili’s, which claimed that you only have to be dressed in order to enter their restaurant.
It’s an admittedly touché response … but does it really win Chili’s any points in the long run? Put differently, if money were no object, would we rather go to the trouble of dressing up to sit and enjoy the upscale Ruth’s Chris than go to Chili’s just so we can bum around in our shorts and t-shirts? Most would choose the former without question.
Some might consider this snobbery. The dress controversy between Chili’s and Ruth’s Chris, however, is really a microcosm of the larger culture war which has raged over of how we present ourselves to the world for years.
The viewpoint of Chili’s is the one toward which our society has been slouching for many years. “Come as you are,” they say, “we won’t judge!” Thus, what once was considered acceptable dinner attire – a nice dress for women and a sport coat for men – gradually morphed into jeans and a blouse, then booty shorts, crop tops, or sweatshirts and pajama pants.
Americans cling to such clothes, loving the comfort that they bring above all else. Yet at the same time, we also complain about how difficult it is to get ahead in the world and how hard it is to get others to respect us. What if the two are related? Might we see more success in our relationships, jobs, and other aspects of life if we didn’t cling so obstinately to the Chili’s dress code of “anything goes”?
Famed Hollywood costumer Edith Head would have said yes. In her book, “How to Dress for Success,” Head wrote, “No matter in which direction your strivings for success are pointed, what you wear and how you look can make the difference between moving steadily toward your goal or just rocking back and forth in the same spot.” In other words, if you want monotony and stagnation, keep choosing those casual, comfortable clothes when you go shopping, dine at restaurants, attend church, or even go to the office.
But those who want to move forward in life should consider a different tactic. Although it sounds a bit crass, Head encourages us to think of ourselves “as a product” that needs selling. And in order to sell that product, one must seriously consider how to improve it.
“The difference between ‘packaging’ you and a static product like a can of beans is considerable,” Head goes on to explain. “The beans are going only one place. You are going many places, and the way you look in each special situation, at different times of the day and on varied locations calls for a variety of looks, a number of moods and a diversified wardrobe.”
If we can control nothing else, we can always decide how we dress, Head says. “When you know what you want out of life—the areas of success you desire—then it is easy to dress ‘in character’ to create the most exciting, pleasing, attractive appearance for your audience.”
Yet so many of us do the exact opposite. What, after all, do our sweats, ripped jeans, and skimpy shorts and shirts say about us? Do they signal that we are a “product” that is clean, neat, alert, responsible, and quality material worthy of advancement … or do they signal that we are dumpy slobs, more interested in lazing through life and getting by with minimal effort?
It’s completely our own choice as to which of these options we’ll follow … but just remember, that choice may be the difference between a Ruth’s Chris or a Chili’s life.
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Took a friend to a Ruth Chris in downtown Indy once for her birthday. We were both dressed appropriately. She wore a nice summer dress, and I had on dress shorts and a knit polo shirt. The GenCon convention was in town at the convention center across the street. We saw many people be seated wearing sleeveless tees, ragged shorts, flipflops and baseball hats. I know I’m old and I wear my share of gym shorts and tees, but not to go not to eat at a nice restaurant.
Wearing sports apparel ona wide basis probably started after World War II.
The Post-War Boom: From Passion to Industry
After World War II, everything changed. Economic growth and expanding sports leagues created new opportunities for commercialization. Mass production made team merchandise more accessible, while radio and television broadcasts built national fanbases.
For the first time, sports merchandise became widely available and officially licensed. Jerseys, caps, and branded gear moved beyond stadiums and into everyday life.
This period laid the foundation for what would become a global industry. Fans were no longer just spectators. They became consumers participating in a growing ecosystem.
Defending slovenly attire? No, that's your takeaway. I would encourage respectable attire but not deceptive attire.
A suit is used as a disguise, giving a cover of legitimacy.
You must be between 20-40. Impressions matter. And how you dress says a lot about who you are. I wear very comfortable clothes, shorts, tees, clean sweatpants etc., to go to Lowes, CVS or Kroger’s. If I’m going to a Chili’s I dress for Chili’s, which is very different from how I’d dress to go to RCs. If I want to go somewhere nice, I dress like I belong somewhere nice. It’s a small price to pay. I firmly believe the general loss of proper dress and appearance has led to much of the incivility we see today. You don’t live in a bubble and the ‘If it feels good, do it’ attitude is so 60’s. Grow up.
“I hate when men wear ball caps inside, period.”
I Hate it.
I find it reprehensible to see anyone wearing jeans in church
I do too, and I learned that in the Army.
Dad was a WW-II Marine then a career LEO in Detroit. I remember one day when mom and dad had the family over for dinner and my nephew came into their house with a ball cap on. Dad jumped all over him and he never wore one in their house again.........LOL!
I drive by low income housing, and it is damn nice, little condos. Better than I could have afforded early on.
But every day I drive by, there are fat people, dressed in pajamas, smoking pot, right in front of the place. One guy yesterday was in a bathrobe smoking with a fat woman in her late twenties with purple hair, tattoos and metal crap in her face.
Of all the things that irritate me about young people today, it is this wearing of pajamas in public.
Pinnacle Pete’s. Long gone but not forgotten.
I dressed in jeans and work clothes my whole working life and still do, just not the hard hat and steel-toed boots these days. I don’t worry about restaurant dress codes, because I couldn’t afford to eat at those places anyway.
Other people can dress how they like. They can even look down on the way I dress. Makes no difference to me.
I wore suits to work, Church and social functions for over 4 decades and the last 35+ years of working all of my suits were tailor made.
My shoes were always glossy shined and my ties were always silk {never dry cleaned, if spotted they went in the trash}.
Dress for success was more than a motto, it was a way of life.
Ruth Chris is right and it's business will increase because of these policies.
When we go out for a good steak dinner, it will be Ruth Chris and I'll gladly pay the premium.
My wife’s favorite sopranos episode included the scene where Tony was upset because some hid had on a ball cap at a nearby table. He got up and told him take off the hat. Guy stared back where upon his date apparently recognizing the dange said take off the hat. He did. Tony then sent over a nice bottle of wine.
So... you instead want everyone to lie to you, putting on girdles, costumes, or just staying inside their homes while you drive by. Walt Disney built places like that.
Be grateful these people are even wearing clothes. And their hair color, tattoos, and piercings might just be to keep a safe distance between you and them.
In before people post about dressing up to attend a major league baseball game back in the day.
It could be worse - they could not be there at all.
You're a low life slob and don't want to hear it.
Even if you have a boat load of money, you are still a hog, looking for a stye, dress how you want, but if you come on FR, you will get opposing opinions, tough...piggy.
My mother once complained about a poorly dressed man at Sunday Mass. My father snapped back, "At least he's here."
That's something a only a slob would say.
I won’t wear any cap or hat while eating indoors. My parents would have slapped any of us out from underneath a cap worn at the table, and those old lessons stuck.
I told him that he had to dress to look like someone management could see representing them in meetings; at least wear a collared shirt at work, button-down all the better.
-PJ
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