Betty Jo Gigot, Editor and Publisher

The décor is rich and warm and there is an atmosphere of quiet elegance when you step in the door of Ruth’s Chris Steak House “in the shadow of the Capital” in downtown Austin, Texas.

According to the Aug. 2006 issue of The Fearless Critic, “National chains generally don’t qualify for inclusion in The Fearless Critic, but this exception is due to the fact that (wince) this is the best place in town for steak. That’s right. The best steak in the capital of the great cattle-roaming state of Texas is found at a Louisiana-based chain restaurant.”

It started with two
It’s immediately apparent that much of the success of Austin’s Ruth’s Chris lies in the personalities of the owners. On any given night, you’ll be greeted by Gary, Bill and Greg, about the proudest “steak purveyors” in the industry. The three each handle different areas – Bill Andrews oversees advertising and public relations, Gary Porfirio is the wine guru and Greg Davey manages daily operations.

“We each have a day of the week that we claim for bragging rights on sales,” Davey said. “I have Tuesday, Gary has Wednesday and Bill has Thursday. We constantly gang up on each other saying, ‘Your partner didn’t do this,’ or ‘Your partner didn’t do that,’ but it’s all in fun.”

They work backup for manager Sal Olivas who oversees, according to the Austin American-Statesman, “a level of staffing found only in Austin’s best restaurants.”

Andrews and Porfirio opened the Ruth’s Chris Steak House on Guadalupe Street in 1985 and Davey joined them in 1998 when they moved into what once was the men’s department of the old Scarbrough’s Department Store on Congress at Sixth Street. Their newest investor, Jim Schwertner, joined the group last year. A well known cattleman and owner of Capitol Land and Livestock, Schwertner had a specific goal in mind when he signed on with the restaurant.

“I want to understand the beef end of the business,” Schwertner said. So he’s invested in Ruth’s Chris as well as a lower end eatery also in Austin’s downtown.

“I wanted to see both the high and low ends of the business,” he said. What Schwertner found was that the lower end of the market is affected more by fluctuations in the economy. He’s observed that when dollars get tough, Ruth’s Chris clientele continue coming in, but those of his other restaurant may downgrade to a fast-food meal, instead.

“They still go somewhere, but it may be McDonald’s,” Schwertner said.

Ruth’s story
Ruth Fertel’s story is a well-known one. She was a divorced mother working as a lab assistant and looking for a way to send her two sons to college. She mortgaged her house for $22,000 and bought Chris’s Steak House near the New Orleans fairgrounds racetrack.

Fertel’s recipe for steak is very simple, according to Angel Lopez, chef at the Austin site. All you need is a warmed, white plate, and USDA Prime, Midwestern corn-fed, aged beef – hand-cut daily – seared to perfection at 1,800° F, topped with a pat of butter, a little salt and pepper and a touch of parsley, and served sizzling by a top-notch wait-staff. What more could you want? Perhaps a glass of wine from a wine list that has been awarded The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 1994.

As for that wait-staff, many have been with the company for numerous years and, because of the excellent compensation, include people like Olivier Tchouaffe, Ph.D., professor at the University of Texas.

On any given evening at Ruth’s Chris you will see well-known politicians or celebrities from the local movie and music scene, and you can plan on Bill, Greg and Gary being there to make sure you have an “unforgettable” eating experience.

Take it from me. Try the porterhouse. It’s to die for.