Hot rumor: Ruth Chris Steakhouse to Founder's Tower

[tuck]

So many on here seem to have very very little knowledge of how restaurants work. Do you think the owners of "local" eateries are buying the supplies from Albertsons? No. They are buying them from food suppliers. Just look at all of CISCO trucks driving around. Most fruits and vegetables are bought from the exact same place no matter what restaurant it is prepared in.

Just because some place is part of a chain doesn't mean anything, almost all are locally owned. It is called franchising. Do you think Applebee's owns every store? Most chains own very few of their own locations. Here is a quote from Applebees for example:

"As of Dec. 31, 2006, there were 1,930 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants, of which 1,409 were operated by franchisees and 521 were operated by the company."

For those of you who can't do the math this means about 75% are locally owned.

Good thoughts, but a bit off. Even though a large number of chains or multi-unit restaurants are franchised, they still are not locally owned. Oklahoma does not have a local franchisee of Applebee's, Chilis, etc. We do have a franchisee of Johnny Carinos in town. This argument can go on forever. HSRG (Hal Smith Group) is a LOCAL group that has done well and has created demand for more units. I am an independent (3 restaurants) owner who 100% supports local operators.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Man, you guys sure have it in for chains. You act like they're out to steal Christmas or something.

I like Chili's...Being single and in my 30's, it's my McDonald's. I eat there when I don't feel like cooking. It's dependable, consistant, reasonably priced, and there are several of them around town. I can't say the same for local places for the most part. I'm not saying that the food is stellar or anything, but it's a convenient and predictable choice when I'm not in a foodie frame of mind. Which is most of the time. I can walk in, sit at the bar, get a meal that has been prepared well enough that I usually want to finish it, and be on my way in 20 minutes for $10 or so.

Don't get me wrong, I REALLY miss the food choices I had when I lived in SoCal. I've never been anywhere that had the quality and quantity of amazing places to eat that San Diego/San Juan Capistrano had. You couldn't swing a dead cat in a circle without hitting a dozen different mom-n-pop restaurants of a dozen different types. You could walk into any joint in a strip mall or on any corner and be reasonably sure that your food was going to taste good enough for you forget what you were talking about and pay attention to it. I was spoiled on great food for the better part of a decade out there, only to come home to severely limited choices. I've yet to find a GREAT Italian or Chinese place here. Good ones, sure. But not *WOW* great like a great many were out there. That doesn't mean that I despise Zio's because they're in 6 states. I like Zio's. They're A-OK in my book.

"War on chains"?

"Suburbanite minded"?

As a suburbanite that eats what he wants and not what some smarmy elitist thinks he should...I say...Kiss my grits.

[kevinpate]

but are those home style grits, or mass produced boil in a bag chain style grits?

[Luke]

I've yet to find a GREAT Italian or Chinese place here.

Have you tried Sophabellas on N. May just north of Grand?

Their Chicago style pizza is stellar. I've not tried anything else, but it sure looks good.

[flintysooner]

I love the Ruth Fertel story. Personally I wouldn't mind at all having a Ruth's Cris in Oklahoma City just so Oklahoma would turn from gray to red on their locations map.

Chili's is considered a "national credit tenant" which means that some lender will actually loan money secured by a Chili's lease. Locally owned operations generally don't offer the same opportunity. There are very good reasons for this. This is not an insignificant factor when the cost of a building alone can easily be $5 million exclusive of the land and development cost.

In addition the people who work for the chain operation and the people who work for the suppliers and other vendors who support the chain are local. Successful chains offer benefits and opportunities that can prove attractive to working people.

Chain locations that prove successful often create opportunities for local restaurants, too.

Successful managers, whether of chain or not, participate in the life of the community.

I like the Utica Square approach where there has been a deliberate effort to maintain a balance between national and local stores.

[dismayed]

I'd rather not see the really crappy chains succeed (like Olive Garden in my opinion) at the cost of good local businesses. But other than that, I don't have a problem with chains. Places like Panera and Outback I frequent all the time. Almost all of these restaurant franchises are locally owned and managed anyway. So you're only talking maybe 10% of the business' cash going out of state in the form of marketing and franchisee fees. It wouldn't surprise me if 'locally owned' restaurants had as much or more of their cash flowing out of state to pay back loans.

I think a lot of times when folks have a negative perception of chains, what they are really saying is they don't want a cookie-cutter dining experience that has been watered down to the lowest common denominator. Although this was the case 10 or 20 years ago, I really think the modern chains today are much more upscale, have better food, and are more flexible to fit in with their locales.

[gmwise]

I had thought the Queen Anne's building was bulldoze down.
Is there still plans to add something in its place?

[bombermwc]

I go where the food is good. If it happens to be Chili's, so be it. If it's Sophabella's, so be it.

I don't care who runs it...I'll support it if it's tasty!

My feelings exactlly. Different places appeal to different people for different reasons. Personally, I prefer Spaghetti Warehouse for Italian because I can't find anyone else that makes manicotti like theirs. BUT that doesn't mean I don't go to Zios for the Tortellini or something. Same for burgers, I can go somewhere local or a chain depending on what mood I'm in.

My main point is that I don't think it is good to say that either group shouldn't be allowed in. Chains allow a connection nationally that can't be obtained locally. You go to the Rubby Tuesday's, Chili's, etc. website and you see there's a location here. For someone traveling, that might be what they want. I know when I was in Chicago last summer, I was very glad to see a Chamilles as a familiar face on the first day before I was comfortable with the town and found more local stuff.

[Pete]

And remember, lots of 'local' restaurateurs learn their trade in chains.

Hal Smith ran both Steak & Ale and Chilis before striking out on his own.

[Andy1807]

my biggest problem with chains is that they're homogenizing the US and their food is usually medicre at best because they try to have something to please everyone.

Has anyone heard about that new Anthony Bourdain show where he travels arounds and eats at Applebees in other countries? Sounds enthralling, doesn't it?

[Kerry]

but are those home style grits, or mass produced boil in a bag chain style grits?

I know you meant this to be funny, but this is the problem with the mind set that "local is better". Unless somone is grinding their own corn to produce grits, it ALL comes from a mass produced bag.

[foodiefan]

you may start with mass produced grits. . . but it's what you do to them to add the flavor that makes the difference!!

[Rage 2.0]

Their almost done with their store in Tulsa so couldn't see why it would be possible for OKC... Never heard of the place...

[jbrown84]

Their almost done with their store in Tulsa so couldn't see why it would be possible for OKC... Never heard of the place...

Huh??

I'd rather not see the really crappy chains succeed (like Olive Garden in my opinion) at the cost of good local businesses. But other than that, I don't have a problem with chains.

I'm with you there. Good food is what I'm worried about. I tend to lean towards a local place, but when City Bites quality has gone down, I'm defecting to Jersey Mike's. Sorry. And I love Pei Wei, but the food is just about as good at Grand Village on 23rd by my church, so we frequent there as well.

But then again, if I have bad food at a chain (like Johnny Carino's for example), I don't go back, whereas with a local place, I will give them another chance to get it right.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Huh??




I'm with you there. Good food is what I'm worried about. I tend to lean towards a local place, but when City Bites quality has gone down, I'm defecting to Jersey Mike's. Sorry. And I love Pei Wei, but the food is just about as good at Grand Village on 23rd by my church, so we frequent there as well.

But then again, if I have bad food at a chain (like Johnny Carino's for example), I don't go back, whereas with a local place, I will give them another chance to get it right.

You think so?

At least I'm not the only one that thinks so. I've eaten at their new Moore location a few times, and it just didn't seem as good...So I went back to the old one, and it wasn't all that great either. Better than Subway and Quizno's , but nothing great. I've been pretty consistently going to Jersey Mike's (Or Someplace Else if I'm in the area) for my sandwiches lately.

[Easy180]

To the person who said chains are more patronized than local, again I disagree. Just drive down Western Avenue any night of the week or visit some of the metro's more popular local restaurants. Restaurants are popular because the food is good or decent and if it's just average, the ambiance is nice. There are plenty although not enough local restaurants who stay just as packed. There are too many "suburbanite" minded people who just don't care or don't even realize they're putting money in out of state hands versus keeping $$$ in local hands and economy.

Guessing all of those employees of the chains are also from out of state and not local residents who depend on that chain's paychecks to pay their mortgages and feed their families?

I heard that same out of state argument when I worked in retail for a national bank...A large amount of Okies make their livelihoods through these national employers...I care more about tipping my waiter regardless of where it's headquartered than I do about helping the local owners of Sushi Neko, Deep Fork etc add on to their 10,000 sq ft McMansions

Yes local owners do pump more money into the economy, but are there enough entrepreneurs around to employ all of these people when we all join hands and boycott all outsider businesses?

[Rage 2.0]

Huh??

It's being built in Owasso a Sub-Urb of Tulsa...

Wierd location but it's being built next to the new Marriot u/c...

[Martin]

rage... are you saying that ruth's chris is building in owasso? i can't seem to find any articles supporting this. -M

[y_h]

A Ruth's Chris in that location makes a lot of sense. It's in close proximity to the Marriott and Crowne Plaza and therefore right in the crosshairs of it's target market - the out-of-town expense account diner. It's important to realize that many business travelers simply don't invest the time to research the better dining options for the locales they may be visiting. Therefore, they look for the higher end chains such as Ruth's or The Palm, Smith and Wollensky's, etc. and play it safe. I have to admit that I am guilty as charged (on occasion). When I am traveling to a new locale while on business I always check out whether there's one of these places anywhere close to where I am going to be staying or working. If I have the time to look into the local restaurant scene I will do so, but I'm pretty sure most business travelers don't go to some of the extremes I do to investigate a city's dining landscape.

Of course, I'll never see the inside of an OKC location of Ruth's when I visit town, but I'm sure they'll do well just on business travel trade.

[jbrown84]

It's being built in Owasso a Sub-Urb of Tulsa...

Wierd location but it's being built next to the new Marriot u/c...

What is "it"???

[Oil Capital]

It's being built in Owasso a Sub-Urb of Tulsa...

Wierd location but it's being built next to the new Marriot u/c...

Yeah, right. Are you sure you're not thinking of Cracker Barrel? ;-)