A First-Timer's Guide
If you have not been before, a few things will happen that are not obvious from the menu, and a few decisions are worth making before you sit down.
Here is what to expect.
What happens without you ordering it
Fresh-baked rolls with honey cinnamon butter arrive at the table, refilled on request, at no charge. They arrive before you have chosen anything.
Peanuts are available in many restaurants. If anyone in your party has a nut allergy, raise it as you are seated rather than after.
The room is loud by design. This is not a quiet dinner venue, and if you want a conversation, going early is the answer.
The four mistakes first-timers make
Ordering a small steak because the headline price is lower. Price per ounce falls as size rises — a 6oz sirloin is $2.25 per ounce against $1.44 for the 16oz. Sharing a large steak beats ordering two small ones.
Ordering a salad to eat lightly. The Chicken Caesar is 1,100 calories, more than four times the Herb Crusted Chicken at 260. The salad page is the trap; the chicken page is the answer.
Ordering a full slab of ribs for one person. At 1,450 calories before two sides arrive, most people do not finish it, and an unfinished full slab is worse value than a finished half slab.
Treating a shared starter as outside the meal. A Cactus Blossom is 2,250 calories — split four ways it still contributes more than a 6oz sirloin.
- Free bread arrives before you order
- Most entrées include two sides
- Steaks are cooked to order — say your doneness clearly
- It is loud; go early if that matters
- Early Dine at $11.99 is the cheapest full entrée route
What to order first time
If you want the signature experience: a Hand-Cut Sirloin at the size that suits your appetite, medium rare, with green beans and a baked potato. It is the cut the menu is built around and the best value on it.
If you are not a steak eater: Grilled BBQ Chicken at $13.49 and 300 calories, which is the best protein-per-calorie plate on the menu and the cheapest dish in its section.
If you are with a group: a shared starter, and consider a large steak split rather than several small ones.
If the timing works: the $11.99 Early Dine list, which includes the 6oz sirloin and is the cheapest route to a full entrée.
Practical notes
Most restaurants open in the late afternoon on weekdays and around midday at weekends, so weekday lunch generally is not available.
Call-ahead seating puts your name on the waiting list before you arrive but does not hold a table.
Steaks are cooked to order, so be specific about doneness. Underdone can go back; overdone cannot.
Frequently asked
Do I need a reservation?
Reservations are generally not taken. Call-ahead seating puts you on the waiting list early, which is the nearest equivalent.
What should I order on a first visit?
A Hand-Cut Sirloin medium rare with two sides is the signature order and the best value on the menu.
Is it family friendly?
Yes — there are two kids tiers, and the room is loud enough that children are not conspicuous.
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