<P> Fertel personally took a hand in every part of the business . She had to teach herself how to butcher steak, and despite being just five - foot - two and 110 - pounds, would saw up 30 - pound short loins by hand until she could afford an electric band saw . She staffed her restaurant with single mothers, saying that they were hard workers and reliable . For many years, Chris Steak House was the only upscale restaurant in New Orleans with an all - female wait staff . </P> <P> From the beginning her restaurant attracted local politicians as well as athletes, businessmen and reporters . Political reporter Rosemary James noted that she "would not have missed a Friday before a major election at Ruth's Chris Steak House . That was the place to be if you wanted to get some scoops ." Local celebrities like Fats Domino were regulars . </P> <P> In early 1976, shortly after Fertel signed a new ten - year lease on the restaurant, a fire destroyed the building . Fertel had recently acquired a second property nearby to rent out as party space . Within seven days, she had relocated the restaurant to its new location a few blocks away at 711 North Broad Street and re-opened it, expanding to 160 seats in the process . The sales agreement with Matulich prevented her from using the original name at any other address, so she named the new restaurant Ruth's Chris Steak House in order to keep some continuity with the previous location . She admitted later to Fortune Magazine that "I've always hated the name, but we've always managed to work around it ." </P> <P> The first franchised restaurant was opened in 1977 by a loyal customer, Thomas J. "T.J." Moran (c. 1931--2015), in Baton Rouge, who went on to open several more franchised Ruth's Chris locations, TJ Ribs, and Ruffino's restaurants through his company T.J. Moran Associates . Fertel noted, "All our franchisees were people who had eaten at one time or another in one of our restaurants . We never looked for franchisees . They came to us ." The chain expanded rapidly over the next two decades, with 66 locations in the U.S. and overseas by mid-1998, and achieving over $200 million in annual revenues . This success earned Fertel a number of accolades as an entrepreneur, and the epithet The First Lady of American Restaurants or The Empress of Steak . </P>

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