We Now Know Why This Minnesota Steakhouse Has Such A Strange Name

It's been called one of the best steakhouse chains in the entire country, and we now know why this restaurant with two locations in Minnesota has such a weird name.

It's no surprise that Minnesotans like a good steak, right? In fact, steak is a popular meal not just here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes but across the country. According to a survey in this Fox News story, steak is America's favorite meal. And, steak is also the choice nearly 66 percent of Americans say they would have as their LAST meal too.

And here in the U.S., we eat a LOT of steak: Americans consumed 27.6 billion pounds of beef in 2020, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The story said the United States accounted for 21.2% of all the beef consumed worldwide.

SEE ALSO: This Minnesota Restaurant Is Now the Best Steakhouse in the Entire State

So if you're looking for a good steak here in the Bold North, you can't go wrong if you head over to Ruth's Chris Steak House. That classic steakhouse chain was recently ranked as the 6th-best Steakhouse Chain in the U.S. according to this Tasting Table survey.

If you want to see for yourself, there are two Ruth's Chris Steak House locations here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes:

• The original location on 2nd Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis
• A second location that just recently opened in the Kahler Grand Hotel, on 2nd Street Southwest in Rochester.

But what's up with that strange name? I mean, 'Ruth's Chris Steakhouse' is a little odd, isn't it? Well, we now know just WHY it has such a unique moniker. According to the Ruth's Chris website, it can be traced back to the chain's founder, Ruth Fertel.

READ MORE: Here's How Much a 4-Course Meal Costs at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Minnesota

Back in 1965, the site says, Ruth bought a small but well-known steakhouse in New Orleans called Chris Steakhouse. She operated that restaurant in the Big Easy for over a decade before a fire forced her to move in 1976. And that's when the classic name came into being, the site said:

Ruth was forced to relocate her business, but the Chris Steak House name wasn’t allowed to come along. Short on time, Ruth improvised, adding her own name to the sign. That made it “Ruth’s Chris Steak House” and our legendary name was born.

Ruth would go on to run that now-legendary steakhouse for several decades. She expanded its reach by adding other franchise locations in 1976, expanding to Hawaii in 1989. Eventually, the site says, Ruth sold the upscale chain to a private firm in 1999.

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Today, besides Minnesota's two locations, you can find Ruth's Chris Steak House locations in 20 different countries outside the U.S. (I once went to the Ruth's Chris Steak House location in the Marriot Resort and Stellaris Casino in Aruba!)

Steak is one of those truly American foods that is a favorite here in Minnesota and is also very popular in other parts of the world. But not every food we love here in the U.S. is also a favorite elsewhere. Keep scrolling to check out some familiar foods that raise eyebrows overseas!

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