It’s Prime Time Baby!

Recently, I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.  Ruth’s is a bit pricey, but never disappoints!   I don’t personally own Ruth’s stock (RUTH), but the word on the street is Blue Horseshoe(Wall Street) loves Ruth’s.  As for my dinner out with my beautiful wife, I ordered the man-sized corn fed filet mignon, while she opted for the lamb chops.  As for the filet, it melted in my mouth and I wished there was more than just a measly nine ounce cut of this scrumptious U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prime Midwestern beef.  I finished the last bite and glanced down at an empty white plate, while loosening my belt and releasing a sigh.  As I returned from the restroom and prepared to order dessert, I was thankful I had passed on the side order of asparagus.  While ordering the cheesecake, I decided that this meal, and in particular the filet, needed some press.  Why were Ruth’s filets always so good?  

The answer is, its USDA prime baby!  Nothing but the best and the best is what Ruth’s Chris serves.  Unfortunately, the truth was about to set me free.  While researching this article, a trip to Ruth’s website menu (http://www.ruthschris.com/Menu/Signature-Steaks) revealed their filet mignons aren’t USDA prime after all.  For years I‘ve been paying the top dollar for Ruth’s filet mignon, only to find out I was wrong about the quality.  Boy, do I hate being wrong.  In an effort to ease my pain, I needed to know what would possibly lead me to believe Ruth’s serves only USDA prime filet.  As it turns out, it’s their logo.  

Before I get ahead of myself, here are some facts you’ll need to know. 

The USDA has eight grades of beef.  Most restaurants serve three of these grades (PRIME, CHOICE and SELECT).  Prime is the highest quality grade designation in terms of tenderness, juiciness and flavor. This quality grade is determined by maturity and marbling scores, with abundant marbling being required.  Less than 2 percent of the nation's beef supply earns the designation of prime beef, which is why it’s considerably more expensive.

Beef inspection is mandatory and funded by the government, while beef grading is a voluntary practice that is paid for by the meat processors and subsidized by the beef industry (Those are the guys whose commercials say, “BEEF, it’s what’s for dinner!”).  When graded, beef is given a USDA shield stamp.  That purple colored shield is the most accurate way to determine what grade of beef you’re eating.  Unfortunately, after a restaurant portions the larger cuts of beef, the grade markings become nearly impossible to read.  So, restaurants can buy USDA select grades of meat and sell them as choice, and also buy choice and sell it as prime.  The goal is to make an extra buck by getting a premium price for a sub standard product.  Now that you have the facts, let’s get back to the story.

Ruth’s logo clearly says U.S. Prime.  “What the hell is U.S. Prime?”  After thirty years of cutting beef, I had never heard of it.  I e-mailed Ruth’s to find out exactly what was going on here.  In an automated E-mail response, I was told to expect an answer to my question in the next 7 days.  Isn’t technology great?  I also sent e-mails to several of Florida's Ruth’s Chris general managers, in an attempt to get a quicker response.  

I was stuck!  I needed a way to get answers and get them quickly, so I turned to the most capable organization I know; the United States Government.  While on the government’s USDA website, I found no reference to the term U.S. Prime.  A quick live chat session with a representative would yield nothing, because much to my surprise the USDA doesn’t have a live chat option.  I was force to submit a question in the “Ask the Expert” section.  I was stunned to find out the “expert” would need 3-5 business days to respond to my inquiry.  Is it just me, or is the efficiency of our government agencies slipping just a bit?

Since it was just day one of my mandatory 3-7 day e-mail response prison sentence, I wanted to see what my other favorite steakhouse was up to.  Morton’s Steakhouse website proudly announces they only serve USDA prime and has a section dedicated to cuts of beef and their grades (http://www.mortons.com/experience/steaks/).  I e-mailed Morton’s a question about Ruth’s U.S. Prime logo.  Given my great experiences at Morton’s, I was not surprised when I received an e-mail response in less than an hour.  Guest relations specialist Capri Kinney replied,  “Hi Brian, I can't really speak as to why Ruth’s Chris word it as "U.S. Prime" but according to their menu they do also serve USDA Prime.”

Okay, I was dialing a restaurant friend when my computer chimed in.  “You’ve got mail!”  I had received a response from one of Ruth’s general managers. 

Filet on the Menu) is an extremely tender cut and when it does come in as Choice, it is almost impossible to tell the difference.  All of the other cuts are always labeled as USDA Prime.  I am the GM of the Ruth’s Chris in Boca and I can assure you that Ruth’s Chris only serves what they say and that is USDA Prime Beef.  We have extremely high standards and uphold this each and every day.  Any additional information can be obtained by contacting the Home Office in Orlando, Florida.  Hope this helps

Bruce Kirschenbaum

I couldn’t control my laughter.  The logo has what looks like a U.S. Prime stamp?  The filets are USDA prime, unless they’re choice?  The USDA is now allowing restaurants to serve choice when prime isn’t available?  Okay, this response sounds a lot like my initials(that would be B.S.)  The fact is Ruth’s menu doesn’t say the filets are USDA prime because they aren’t, but Bruce thinks they are.  The logo is so misleading that Bruce doesn’t even know the filets aren’t prime.

Okay, now it was time to go to my ace in the hole and make that phone call.   My friend has trained staff at Ruth’s for years and would surely give me some straight answers.  While asking for anonymity he said the following; “The Cowboy and Regular Ribeye, NY Strip and Porterhouse Steak are all USDA Prime. The T-Bone and both Filets are USDA Choice.  The Filets are wet aged 10 to 14 days. Every other cut of beef is aged 24 to 28 days.”

Ruth’s filets are in fact USDA choice, but their logo boldly states U.S. Prime.  The omission of USDA prime designation from Ruth’s menu descriptions of the filet mignons and T-Bone, suggest they aren’t willing to go all the way with their logo’s implied message.   Sure I got a great steak, but Ruth’s Chris and other restaurants should not be allowed to deceive the public by putting slogans like U.S. PRIME, PRIME CUTS or CHOICE BEEF in their logo or on their menus, unless that is the only type of beef they are serving.  It is deceptive advertising and it shouldn’t be tolerated.    

This beef problem is at an epidemic level not just restaurants, but supermarkets too.  The next time you want the truth about your favorite restaurant or market, just ask to see the beef in its original cryovac packaging.  If you receive any hesitation or resistance to your request, you’ve got your answer.  The purple USDA stamp is a government guarantee to the consumer.  That guarantee shouldn’t be mocked by restaurants looking to pocket undeserved money, while deceiving the public.

Always remember, “You are what you eat”, but try to make sure you know what you’re eating.

Have a great night out, and when you ask your server what grade of meat you’ll be eating, tell ‘em that B.S. won’t cut it!   Please leave and Thanks!  Brian Silveira is a restaurateur and food lover from Fort Myers, Florida.