Is Ruth's Chris Steak House or Red Robin cheaper to open?

Ruth's Chris Steak House costs $2,477,000–$6,380,000 and Red Robin costs $3,205,000–$5,791,000 to open (FDD Item 7). Ruth's Chris Steak House has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, Ruth's Chris Steak House or Red Robin?

FranchiseVerdict grades Ruth's Chris Steak House B and Red Robin B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Ruth's Chris Steak House vs Red Robin

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Ruth's Chris Steak House and Red Robin are full-service restaurants franchises. Ruth's Chris Steak House requires an investment of $2.5M – $6.4M while Red Robin requires $3.2M – $5.8M. Neither Ruth's Chris Steak House nor Red Robin makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD — a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule — so the two cannot be compared on disclosed unit revenue. FranchiseVerdict rates Ruth's Chris Steak House B (Above average) and Red Robin B (Above average).

Metric	Ruth's Chris Steak House	Red Robin
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	BAbove average
Investment Range	$2.5M – $6.4M	$3.2M – $5.8M
Franchise Fee	$100K	$35K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/ANo Item 19 representation	N/ANo Item 19 representation
SBA Charge-Off Rate	Limited data	Limited data
Total Units	135	498
Unit Growth (YoY)	-1 units	-1 units
Year Began Franchising	1972	1979
FDD Year	2025	2025