Chesterfield has a new feather in its cap of restaurant offerings. Ruth’s Chris Steak House, the upscale, New Orleans–based brand opens Monday evening at 16493 Wild Horse Creek Road with full service. (Beginning Tuesday, lunch and dinner will be served only on the patio. Curbside and delivery options will be available as well.)
The new restaurant, which replaces its Clayton location that closed last month, is more than just another iteration of the brand. The 16,600-square-foot space, spread across two levels and a sprawling outdoor footprint, is the one of the concept’s largest locations to date. As general manager Mark Bullock explains, Prime Hospitality Group, the family-owned franchisee behind the new restaurant, spared no expense in creating an immersive, luxury experience for guests.
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“I think this shows the strength of the brand,” Bullock says. “Ruth’s Chris is the pinnacle of the fine-dining steakhouse. To open up a location as grand as this after 55 years since the brand’s inception says something about who we are and what we do. It shows our commitment to excellence.”
Known for its USDA Prime steaks, served on 500-degree plates that sizzle with butter, Ruth’s Chris began setting the standard for fine-dining steakhouses when it opened in New Orleans in 1965. From its humble beginnings—the original Ruth’s Chris was opened by single mother Ruth Fertel after she mortgaged her home for $22,000—the brand has grown into a fine-dining behemoth with locations all over the world, including one in downtown St. Louis.
With the Chesterfield location, however, fans of the brand will be treated to a Ruth’s Chris experience like no other. The space is nothing short of opulent, boasting beautiful woodwork on the walls and ceilings, gilded light fixtures, luxe granite bars, velvet chairs, and elegant artwork.
Inside, the restaurant is typically capable of seating up to 450 guests; an additional 3,300 square feet of patio space adds to its already impressive footprint. According to Bullock, the restaurant is the flagship of the franchise, if not the brand as a whole.
“We’re going to offer something for everyone in the Chesterfield community, whether that’s personal dining, special-occasion dining, wedding receptions or rehearsals, pharmaceutical and financial dinners,” Bullock says. This development is really ahead of the curve and is keeping pace with commercial and residential growth in Chesterfield and west of St. Louis at large.”
The Ruth’s Chris complex is part of WildHorse Creek development, which includes retail and luxury condos. Across the street will be an AC Marriott hotel, slated to open in November 2021.
The restaurant had planned to conduct soft openings over the weekend and hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony early next week. When St. Louis County recently announced restrictions for indoor dining beginning next week and lasting at least four weeks, however, plans changed. Instead, the restaurant held soft openings over the weekend, opens for dine-in service on Monday evening (following social distancing, use of masks, and precautionary safety guidelines), but will revert to patio, curbside, and delivery service only beginning Tuesday, November 17.
The restaurant plans to utilize the restaurant’s ample outdoor seating, aided by fireplaces, hedges, plexiglass windbreaks, and umbrellas with heaters—but no tents.
In the meantime, Bullock remains optimistic that this gleaming jewel in the Ruth’s Chris crown will serve as a symbol of what the St. Louis region has to offer.
“I think we still have a little bit of lore in the world with East Coast and West Coast, but there is no flyover state,” Bullock says. “There are already fantastic dining options in St. Louis, but this will definitely raise the bar. St. Louis is a phenomenal city—it has a great sporting and business background. We feel this is the prime location for us.”
Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect a change in opening dates.
