Iowa’s First Ruth’s Chris Steak House Will Open in July

UPDATE: 6/26/23

We officially have an opening date! According to an article from KCRG, Ruth’s Chris Steak House is set to open its new West Des Moines location on July 31st at 11 a.m. Two soft openings will take place ahead of the grand opening. You can follow the official Facebook page for updates HERE.

ORIGINAL STORY: 2/7/23

Iowa is going to have a fancy new restaurant to check out this soon! According to the Des Moines Register, Ruth's Chris Steak House will be opening its first Iowa location at 950 Jordan Creek Parkway in West Des Moines.

Ruth's Chris Steak House was founded by a woman named Ruth Fertel, also known as the "First Lady of Steak," back in 1965. Ruth purchased a place called Chris Steak House in New Orleans and taught herself the restaurant business. The name Ruth's Chris Steak House came about after a fire in 1976. The website reads:

"After 11 years of success, a fire destroyed the steak house and Ruth was forced to find a new location. Her contract wouldn’t allow her to keep the original restaurant name so she added hers to it: Ruth’s Chris Steak House."

In 1977, the first Ruth's Chris franchisee opened, and the rest is history! Today there are more than 140 Ruth's Chris locations across 21 different countries. The West Des Moines location will be the first in the state of Iowa.

According to the Des Moines Register, our Ruth's Chris will seat up to 400 people and will feature "three patios, three bars, five private dining rooms, wine lockers, a double-sided fireplace, valet parking and a multi-level parking garage" and will employ around 125 people. In addition to dinner, the 15,000-square-foot restaurant will also serve lunch everyday and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Ruth's Chris isn't your ordinary steakhouse. In fact, their website says that there is a dress code to "promote a comfortable, family friendly and welcoming atmosphere for everyone." Guests should avoid clothing with offensive graphics or language, exposed undergarments, cut-off shorts, tank tops, and hats. The site says that hats and jerseys are only welcome at the bar or on the patio. You can read more about the restaurant's policies HERE.

The West Des Moines Ruth's Chris Steak House doesn't have an official opening date yet, but the website promises that it's opening this spring. You can check out the site HERE for the latest updates.