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Great, another high-end steak house. I'm starting to think that Mississippi has a law against middle level steak houses. The only "experience " I gain from the upper crust place is a $200+ lighter wallet. At the end of the day, I would rather spend my money at a TxRH and have enough left over to buy a nice bottle of bourbon.
Question:
Is there enough money in the Starkville area to keep such a restaurant afloat? I can understand Jackson, outside Memphis, and the Coast, and even Meridian. I guess there is since people keep trying to force it there, but I can’t see it unless my definition of “high-end” is higher than others.
Is there enough money in the Starkville area to keep such a restaurant afloat? I can understand Jackson, outside Memphis, and the Coast, and even Meridian. I guess there is since people keep trying to force it there, but I can’t see it unless my definition of “high-end” is higher than others.
TLDR: You answered your own question
When FactCheckerBot says Meridian > Starkville, can you see it happening?
No, I don’t either
It’s super rare that I’ll eat at a high end steak restaurant and I love steak. I’ll gladly pay for a wagyu ribeye or filet and cook it myself exactly how I want it.
There never has been. I'll give it 2-4 years. None of these places has lasted. NONE. Anthony's in WP hit the sweet spot. $30-50 for a steak is the right range.
The problem isn't that there isn't enough money to support it. The problem is that almost all of these high-end steakhouses are good, but not "I can't wait to spend $125 on another steak" good. They get very little repeat business in a small town.
I'm convinced all these ownership groups sit around thinking to themselves they are about to create another Doe's. Newsflash...they aren't.
Same owner as Taste, so they know the market and think this concept will go. Prime 44 could have made it with a few tweaks, but Roy wanted to do it his way and now is moving his focus to The Ranch
Silly question....from those of us who have only been to starkville for single nights or at best a scattering of weekends since graduating more than 30 years ago....
Harvey's still exists. It was not great, but it is still rocking on. The market supports that....how does the market also support something trying to be considerably better?
In my limited thought, I would have figured Harvey's to be gone long ago if there was actual demand for higher end.
Harvey's still exists. It was not great, but it is still rocking on. The market supports that....how does the market also support something trying to be considerably better?
In my limited thought, I would have figured Harvey's to be gone long ago if there was actual demand for higher end.
This guy gets it. I’ve been to many high-end steakhouses and while I’ve had some good experiences, I have never thought “this is better than what I could’ve made at home.”
The things about these places it gives me no qualms about buying a good filet, ribeye or porterhouse from Sam's or Costco. You spend $20 - $25 on a steak there now you feel like your getting a great deal.
Is the Golden Horn still around? It was about halfway between Starkville and Columbus on the north side of Hwy 82. I never went - could barely afford the student plate in the cafeteria - but heard it was upper end.
Because there aren’t worse margins than mid level steakhouses. A center cut 8oz filet cost to the restaurant is about $17.50 right now. That midlevel steakhouse usually has a side and salad so you’re in on that plate for $20 minimum. To make money you need to charge $60. Value steakhouses also attract teetotalers. A big part of the high-end steakhouse’s profit margin is alcohol sales. They can get away with that 40-45% food cost with booze sales on virtually every table. your best bet for a value steak is finding a non steakhouse that offers a steak and executes it well like the $45 filet at Amerigo. They probably run a 50% FC but still do ok because they sell so few steaks and the per plate profit is more than the other dishes in the $20-$30 range. I know, too much info you didn’t ask for
Alive and well and probably just the same as it was in 1986
I think yes but it requires a few things:
1) Come up with some lunch program that can generate you some business. Blue plates maybe
2) Keep it small sqf so your lease isn’t too bad
3) keep it small so you can carry a small staff. Carbone in NYC has 80 seats. If it’s more than 80 in Starkvegas you are a gambler. You need a chef/KM that wants to work the line constantly so you get bang for your buck.
4) Keep the menu small so you don’t have to invest a ton in prep labor & ease of execution.
In a nutshell, keep it small and control cost as much as possible and stay booked Thursday-Saturday. I think wait staff/FOH will be easy. You need an owner who is an operator and not an investor.
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Concur, a steak is the easiest thing in the world to cook. Just buy the highest quality cut you can get, will be less than 1/2 the cost in a restaurant.
It's obvious who the knowledgable restaurant person here is. You are spot on. If they can do the things you listed (which I believe they are and will) they will make a killing. I would add one more layer and maybe even not do lunch at all, but these guys know the market and know what they are doing so we'll see.
And we need great restaurants in STK. Threads like this make it clear why we don't have lots of nice things, but I just have to assume (hope) this group of TX Roadhouse/home grillmasters is not representative of the entire fanbase, or we wouldn't have some of the restaurants we do have.
Have you been in a TX Road House? The liquid refreshments flow pretty good at a TxRH because they have a full bar and their decor promotes having a brew with your steak. The model for a mid-level steakhouse has changed since the days of Ryan's & Sizzlin but it can be done as evidenced by the huge success of TxRH and other smaller chains.
The buying power of Texas Roadhouse is different than an independent. And you can overcome tight margins with volume which they do. The market data that they covet for success doesn’t exist in Starkville. They are careful where they go in. But you are right about them. They’re the highest grossing chain in the USA at almost $6 billi.