Michigan fans’ beef: Why isn’t Ruth’s Chris giving them a full 78% off their steaks after a 78-point rout?
Michigan football provided us an answer to that age-old question: When is getting 50% off your bill at a steakhouse not good enough?
The answer: When the diners are Wolverines fans who think they should be getting 78% off their rib-eye.
On Friday, the Ann Arbor location of Ruth’s Chris Steak House offered a big promotion on its Facebook page tying in with Michigan football for the rest of the season. Whatever margin the Wolverines win by on Saturdays, customers will receive that percentage off their total bill, with some restrictions, the following Sunday through Thursday.
“Example: Michigan beats Rutgers by 20 points, your discount would be 20% off your food the following Sunday through Thursday,” the restaurant wrote.
The Wolverines went on to shut out the Scarlet Knights, 78-0, leading many folks in the area to think they’d be getting 78% off their bills, which often exceed $100 for a party of two. Why? Because unlike the version of the Facebook ad you see above, the original post did not mention the 50% cap on the promotion.
The restaurant said on Facebook that the cap had been part of the promotion since its launch but just wasn’t mentioned in the original post. According to ESPN, general manager Buzz Goebel decided on the cap Thursday night.
Naturally, some folks are complaining on the Facebook post, accusing the business of going back on its word and saying it didn’t have the guts (not one person’s actual word) to go through with the original promotion.
But that didn’t stop the restaurant from being completely booked through Thursday. Extra wait staff from a nearby Ruth’s Chris location have been called in to help.
And with alcoholic beverages not included in the discount, Goebel thinks it will still be a profitable week for his business.
"I love this," Goebel said. "It's kind of scary, but you can't buy this kind of advertising. If we execute perfectly, we're in good shape."
Twitter: @chewkiii
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
