Ruth's Chris Steak House franchise
2026 filing · September 21, 2026Fewer locations
Ruth's Chris Steak House at a glance
A steak house restaurant with a full bar. At the end of its 2026 fiscal year there were 138 Ruth's Chris Steak House locations in the US, 51 franchised and 87 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Orlando, Florida
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $2.5M–$6.41M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $125,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of net sales, paid monthly, plus 1% to the global marketing fund and 2% on local marketing
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of net sales, paid with the royalty
- Renewal fee
- $62,500
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
Where it is
- US locations, 2026
- 138
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 51
- Company-owned
- 87
- Change in 3 years
- −1
- Franchised locations, 2024–2026
- States
- 36
- Most in Florida, California and North Carolina
From Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 66; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Ruth's Chris Steak House among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Ruth's Chris Steak House | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $4,453,500 | Costs more than 96% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $125,000 | Higher than 99% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 138 | More than 81% of franchises |
How much a Ruth's Chris Steak House franchise costs
Opening one Ruth's Chris Steak House costs an estimated $2,502,000 to $6,405,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 19
Ruth's Chris Steak House franchise fee
The franchise fee is $125,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 13
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of net sales, paid monthly, plus 1% to the global marketing fund and 2% on local marketing. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of net sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Technology Fee | Then-current fee (currently $0) |
| Transfer Fee | $62,500 |
| Renewal Fee | $62,500 |
| Local Marketing Expenditure | 2% of Net Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from pages 14–15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Ruth's Chris Steak House does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 50
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $3M–$5.3M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Ruth's Chris Steak House franchisees
Lenders approved 3 SBA 7(a) loans for Ruth's Chris Steak House franchisees from 2020 to 2026, $5.15M in all. One has been paid in full; none was charged off. The other 2 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2026 / 2024–2026. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Ruth's Chris Steak House | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / −1.9% | 0% / +3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 2.5% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 1.9% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical restaurant brand is the median of the 301 brands in restaurant franchises with three years of counts.
How Ruth's Chris Steak House compares
Of the 813 restaurant franchises on this site, Ruth's Chris Steak House is the 789th cheapest to open and the 104th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Ruth's Chris Steak House | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $2.5M | $408K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $6.41M | $866K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $125K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 138 | 14 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 474 of 813 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 813 brands in restaurant franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 51 (−1) | 84 | 0 | −1 |
| 2025 | 51 (0) | 86 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 51 (0) | 87 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. The outlet years below are the franchisor's fiscal years, which end in late May.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 51
Where Ruth's Chris Steak House locations are
At the end of 2026, Ruth's Chris Steak House had locations in 38 states and territories. The most are in Florida, California and North Carolina.
- Florida16
- California13
- North Carolina9
- Texas8
- New Jersey7
- Maryland6
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 0 | 16 | 16 |
| California | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| Texas | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Maryland | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Virginia | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Georgia | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| New York | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Indiana | 4 | 0 | 4 |
All 38 states
Source: Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 53
Who owns Ruth's Chris Steak House?
Ruth's Chris Steak House franchises are sold by Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC.
From Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 13, bankruptcy on page 13
Ruth's Chris Steak House filings
The figures on this page come from Ruth's Chris Steak House Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued September 21, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | September 21, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2024–2026 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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