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You've been fighting to keep a northwest Fresno Starbucks. Now you're fawning over Ruth's Chris Steak House in River Park. Compared to some other cities, Fresno offered Ruth's Chris the red-carpet treatment -- and took the international eatery by surprise. "To be honest with you, the media excitement has been almost overwhelming," Joe O'Donnell, Ruth's Chris vice president of West Coast operations, said on Friday. "We have all the TV stations today. The amount of exposure we're getting is very, very pleasing."
It's not just the media that's excited, either. "The phone has been ringing off the hook for private parties, more than we've experienced anywhere else in California in recent years," O'Donnell said.
Ruth's Chris is no doubt grateful, for its sales haven't been stellar. Look at the revenue of Ruth's Chris restaurants that are owned by its parent company, Ruth's Hospitality Group. Same-store sales fell by 7.1% in the second quarter of 2008, com- pared with the second quarter of 2007. This performance is due to "macro-economic challenges that have affected upscale dining and the restaurant industry as a whole," says Bob Vincent, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Ruth's Hospitality Group.
Such troubles haven't halted the company's expansion. Fresno's Ruth's Chris is No. 127 in the chain. More are slated for the fall, and little expense is spared in tutoring employees. During "food shows" that collectively lasted 8-10 hours, trainers led Fresno's staff in cooking the entire menu. Servers, bartenders, hosts and hostesses tasted each dish to prep for a test.
They must know the cooking temperature for the steaks (1,800- degree oven). And the proper way to serve the ahi-tuna stack, a sizzling plate of seared tuna and lump crabmeat. (Servers squeeze lemon over the top, taking care not to splatter hot liquid.) And drinks to serve with the chocolate sin cake. (Ports are good.)
Will all this training pay off? It will for the short term -- especially while the restaurant serves its $89 "summer celebration," which consists of three-course meals for two people. (For the full menu, go to ruthschris.com or call (559) 490-0358 for more information.)
But after that deal ends in mid-September, the restaurant's long-term success depends on folks who spend more than $70 per person on dinner. It also depends on you, the Fresno diners. Yes, you love your chains, but you're also notoriously fickle. And in Fresno, there's always a new restaurant to try.
Competition changes Erna's Elderberry House: This high-end Oakhurst restaurant is acutely aware of the economy and ever-growing competition with Fresno restaurants. These factors prompted Erna's to try something new: an a la carte menu. Erna's still offers its standard, $95 five-course dinner, but "with the economy and the gas we need to give [the restaurant] a new twist," says owner Erna Kubin-Clanin. E-mails announced the menu: "Dear Guest, high gasoline cost should not keep you from driving to Oakhurst and enjoying a visit to Erna's Elderberry House. ... Order a la carte and it will be less than $100 per couple."
Expect Viennese "comfort food," including Wiener schnitzel-style organic chicken breast, Viennese potato salad and seasonal vegetables for $30 and braised rabbit with Roquefort-walnut bread pudding and red and green cabbage for $32.
Erna's is at 48688 Victoria Lane, Oakhurst. Call (559) 683-6800 or go to elderberryhouse.com.
More Elberta peaches: If you read my column in Friday's 7 section, you saw sources for specialty peaches. Here's one more place to buy Elbertas, the juicy, sweet-tart peach. Steve Lubisich is selling them from a stand on Nees Avenue, just west of Willow Avenue. Just look for the sign that says "Peaches," he says. Call (559) 217-2001 to check availability. And act quickly: The harvest may end by Aug. 22.
The columnist can be reached at jobra@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6365.
To see more of The Fresno Bee, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.fresnobee.com Copyright (c) 2008, The Fresno Bee, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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