Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Ruth's Chris Steak House is an upscale steakhouse franchise serving USDA Prime steaks sizzling on hot plates, with a full bar. Franchisees run fine-dining restaurants managing kitchen, bar, and a large service staff.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Ruth's Chris Steak House franchise requires a total initial investment of $2.5M – $6.4M, including a $100K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $2.5M – $6.4M
- 39th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 135
- 33rd pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $2.5M – $6.4M including a $100K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 65/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC
- Parent company
- RCSH Operations, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Darden Restaurants, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Ruth Fertel, Inc. (d/b/a Chris Steak House)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Bradley S. Smith
- Incorporated in
- Louisiana
- HQ
- 1000 Darden Center Drive, Orlando, Florida 32837
- Auditor
- WithumSmith+Brown, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $46.5M
- vs $18.7M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- Darden
- Darden Franchising
- Darden APAC
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Bradley S. Smith
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 1972
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 38
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 279% above the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Feenot refundable | $100K | $100K | |
| Site Location Feasibility and Marketing Study | $5K | $10K | |
| Real Estate and Improvements | $1.0M | $3.5M | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures | $750K | $970K | |
| Signage | $25K | $85K | |
| Pre-Opening Marketing and Public Relations | $30K | $70K | |
| Pre-Opening & Training Inventory (Food & Beverages) | $90K | $200K | |
| Initial Inventory (Food & Beverages) | $120K | $350K | |
| Point of Sale Computer Hardware and Software and Office Material | $25K | $150K | |
| Management Training Expenses | $57K | $120K | |
| New Store Opening Assistance Training Expense | $80K | $150K | |
| Alcoholic Beverages License and other Business Permits | $10K | $180K | |
| Insurance deposits and Premiums (for first year) | $30K | $45K | |
| Utility Deposits | $5K | $100K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $150K | $350K | |
| Total initial investment | $2.5M | $6.4M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $2.5M – $6.4M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $150K – $350K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $100K – $100K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Net Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $50K |
| Renewal fee | $30K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Ruth's Chris Steak House did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Ruth's Chris Steak House unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
2%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.0% — below the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (-1.9% 3-year CAGR) with 135 units.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Ruth's Chris Steak House Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 135
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.0%
- Company-owned
- 84
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 38%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -1.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -1.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 98.1%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 0.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 21 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- California
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Washington
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $2.9M
- Median loan
- $1.5M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (2 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Ruth's Chris is a clean, mature franchisor (franchising since 1972) with net worth of $283.6M and net income of $28.2M, audited financials, and zero litigation or bankruptcy. No Item 19 is a minor note but financials are exceptionally strong. Slight -1.9% unit change is immaterial across 135 units.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation information provided in Item 3
Largest disclosed settlement: $150,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · WithumSmith+Brown, PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 65 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNet worth $283,631,000, net income $28,185,000
- 02MINORZero litigation, no bankruptcy, no going concern
- 03MINORNo Item 19 disclosure (minor)
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Assigned Area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation information provided in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 168 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 352 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
88 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Ruth's Chris Steak House · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Ruth's Chris Steak House franchise?
The total investment to open a Ruth's Chris Steak House franchise ranges from $2.5M – $6.4M, with an initial franchise fee of $100K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Ruth's Chris Steak House franchise owners earn?
Ruth's Chris Steak House does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Ruth's Chris Steak House FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Ruth's Chris Steak House FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Ruth's Chris Steak House's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Ruth's Chris Steak House (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Ruth's Chris Steak House franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Ruth's Chris Steak House has 135 total units in the United States, including 51 franchised units and 84 company-owned units.
Is Ruth's Chris Steak House a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Ruth's Chris Steak House as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 65 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.