Idaho Falls Ruby River Steakhouse Shuts Down (Boise, Meridian: condo, houses)

[pimit2]

Reported by KPVI.Com:

Less than two-years since opening for business and one local restaurant has closed its doors for good---yet another victim of the slumping economy.

Representatives from Sizzling Platter, Incorporated, the parent company that owns Ruby River Steakhouse, confirmed today that they have in fact closed both their Idaho Falls and Boise locations.

Company officials cite the struggling economy for the necessary cuts and claim that while they regret to close the locations, the two stores were their lowest performers and needed to be closed in order to keep their five other locations afloat.

Sizzling Platter, Incorporated owns franchises of several other restaurant chains, including the Ammon Sizzler.

They say one option they are looking into is converting the Idaho Falls Ruby River location into a Sizzler Steakhouse.

The economy continues to hurt local businesses. What a shame.


pimit2 (Bob)

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by pimit2

Reported by KPVI.Com:



The economy continues to hurt local businesses. What a shame.


pimit2 (Bob)

Yikes, one of my favorite restaurants. Idaho residents haven't had the time to get to know Ruby River like Utah residents.

Sizzling Platter has always wanted to put a Sizzler in TCOR. No real big shock there. One can always hope for better times a re-consideration.

MSR

[Syringaloid]

Boise has a lot of far better steak restaurants anyways. There are over a dozen other restaurants within a couple of blocks of the Boise location at the Edwards Cinema Megaplex and Ruby River could not hold its own, there are too many other better restaurants nearby. This place was not very good and that is why they struggled attracting a solid consumer base here.
On a side note, downtown Boise is adding new locally owned restaurants rather quickly to replace some that closed last year when the nations economy started tanking. When I think about it I have seen a lot of new restaurants opening up in the Boise/Meridian/Eagle areas in the past few months. Cool Hand Lukes, a small steak house chain out of California has locations in the Treasure Valley and they are much, and I mean much better than Ruby River is, and Cool Hand Lukes locations are always busy. I could rattle off at least a half dozen other local steak restaurants that are always busy and outshine Ruby River. More good news is that a new condo building in downtown Boise is supposed to get a Ruth's Chris Steak House later this year.
I feel for the people who will lose their jobs when the restaurant closes, but with all of the new restaurants opening in the valley they should be able to find new food-service employment easily.

[breer23]

I must admit that I wasn't all that impressed with Ruby River's food, having given it two tries (anyone can have a bad day). However, it is sad to hear that now that many more folks will be looking for work.

[cleosmom]

I too am saddened by the folks that lost their jobs. However, I'm surprised it lasted this long. For what you were served it was overpriced IMO.

[Jarndyce]

I went to the one in Boise twice last year and liked it both times. I'm surprised to hear it's closing. There's a fish place in that area McGrath's that I thought was a better candidate for closure--overpriced and tiny portions....

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by Syringaloid

Boise has a lot of far better steak restaurants anyways. There are over a dozen other restaurants within a couple of blocks of the Boise location at the Edwards Cinema Megaplex and Ruby River could not hold its own, there are too many other better restaurants nearby. This place was not very good and that is why they struggled attracting a solid consumer base here.
On a side note, downtown Boise is adding new locally owned restaurants rather quickly to replace some that closed last year when the nations economy started tanking. When I think about it I have seen a lot of new restaurants opening up in the Boise/Meridian/Eagle areas in the past few months. Cool Hand Lukes, a small steak house chain out of California has locations in the Treasure Valley and they are much, and I mean much better than Ruby River is, and Cool Hand Lukes locations are always busy. I could rattle off at least a half dozen other local steak restaurants that are always busy and outshine Ruby River. More good news is that a new condo building in downtown Boise is supposed to get a Ruth's Chris Steak House later this year.
I feel for the people who will lose their jobs when the restaurant closes, but with all of the new restaurants opening in the valley they should be able to find new food-service employment easily.

Syringaloid,

It's nice to have you join us on some of the non-Boise area discussions. It's really good to hear that the employees of Ruby River in Boise shouldn't have difficulty finding employment. It is hard for me hear currently that employees losing their jobs from any restaurant closing anywhere, given the economy. Good that those who want to stay in the food industry probably can continue. I hope the same is true for the Idaho Falls Ruby River employees.

Good for the Treasure Valley for getting more local owned restaurants, be they steak houses or not. I'm not surprised to hear that more restaurants are being in the capitol city.

What I find slightly interesting to me, is I never wrote what was my favorite food is at Ruby River. Perhaps some assumed they knew. I did tell Bob I enjoyed how they made their old fashioned Root Beer.

Additionally, as I've written elsewhere, I see the good old Arkansas National Bank (or whatever the name was) being partially responsible for the closure in Idaho Falls. Ruby River is geared for a specific group of people. When McNeil had to halt construction on the Marriott, thanks to "that bank," and the lack of funding for so many of the businesses planning to start or expand in TCOR, that is a huge part of the problem in Idaho Falls. From that perspective, I am upset that Ruby River is closing as it shows another business that got SCREWED by the Arkansas Bank! It wouldn't matter to me if it were a McDonald's or food from the Four Seasons or Ritz. It's the principle that matters to me and how other investors were essentially lied to.

When it comes to steak, Yuck, major YUCK to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, for me personally. Maybe the one in Boise will be better than Seattle. I'd probably be more interested in the regional steak house chain, depending on the occasion. There are so many better steak restaurants, IMHO: Houston's, Mortons, Fleming's, Lawry's along with the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton and other local restaurants, in various cities throughout the U.S., that emphasize steak as their specialty. I can't think of the name of the one in Dallas and another in Fort Lauderdale that served five star food. In cities who have the restaurants I've mentioned (plus others I can't remember, but know once I'm in that city), they will continue to get my request for dinner and $ over the local Ruth's Chris' anyday.

However, we all have different likes and dislikes in our food. If the residents of the Treasure Valley want a Ruth's Chris Steak House, then that is indeed good news for them. I hope a Boise Ruth's Chris restaurant would feature Idaho beverages as part of its menu. To not connect with the local wineries etc., IMHO, would be a mistake.

I hope all the other restaurants can do well and employees keep their jobs, throughout the state. I will be interested to see how rapidly the Ruby River building in Idaho Falls is converted to a Sizzler. McNeil as been firm and what some may call "resistant" on having Ruby River built where it was as it would have been competition for Sizzler. McNeil's desire for a Sizzler in TCOR, since they first announced the project, has not changed. If anything, it has become more rigid. While it was suppose to be closer to Pancheri, perhaps on one of the two pads overlooking the water, those plans didn't materialize. At this point, I think they would be happy with the Broadway/Houston street location.

Three of my key comments about the Idaho Falls Ruby River, is I'm not sure how the failure of TCOR to be able to build the Marriott on time with the other shops, restaurants etc. set Ruby River up to fail. From breer23, it sounds like the management wasn't the best trained, which leads me to my third point. Realistically, with McNeil wanting a Sizzler in TCOR, how was Ruby River suppose to make it? Sizzling Platter owns both and they are responsible for the management and training of employees. It should be interesting to see if a Sizzler in TCOR has a better run staff and tighter management.

Those three factors are not aspects all think about in what businesses are successful or not. However, they are very real ones when other businesses have had to abandon, or delay TCOR projects, due to promised financing once promised by the Arkansas bank no longer being available.

Enjoy your favorite food everytime you can.

MSR