Did Ruth's Chris Steak House Bite Off More Than It Can Chew With its New Promo? Did the score of a Michigan-Rutgers game totally fork up this restaurant?
By Dan Bova
Someone at Ruth's Chris Steak House Ann Arbor cooked up one heck of a promotion last week: Michigan fans would get a percentage off their bill equal to the final winning point differential.
Great idea, until the results of this Saturday's game surely had the owner in need of the Heimlich: Michigan beat Rutgers 78-0. A 78 point differential. That's 78 percent off the final bill.
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Well, not exactly. When the promo was announced, perhaps after checking the spread in Vegas, Ruth's noted that they would cap it off at 50 percent. (And that doesn't include the tip, cheapos.) But still, 50 percent off! That's our favorite steak order. "Medium rare, and half priced, please."
Was Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on a mission to increase the wallets and waistlines of Ann Arbor residents by running up the score? He insists no, telling reporters that his guys were simply dialed in and executing flawlessly. As of this moment, he was not spotted at the restaurant ordering a rib eye, but keep an eye out, folks. He'll be the super-intense guy who likes to pour salt in his opponent's meals.
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Are the Ruth's Chris people wishing they could call back this play? Not at all. While it smells of the "endless crab" special that almost sank Red Lobster back in 2003, this special seems to be working out just fine. USA Today reports that as of Sunday afternoon, the restaurant was booked solid through Thursday.
Well done, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, well done.
