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Jeff Ruby
Born
Brian Jeffrey Kranz

Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materCornell University
Occupations
Years active1981–present
Known forJeff Ruby Steakhouse
Children
  • Brittany Ruby Miller (CEO Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment)
  • Dillon Ruby
  • Brandon Ruby
Websitejeffruby.com

Jeffrey Ruby (born Brian Jeffrey Kranz) is an American restaurateur and businessman.[1] He owns several restaurants in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.[2][3]

Life

[edit]

Jeff Ruby was born in Newark, New Jersey. He left home at the age of 15 and rented a small room in a house he shared with senior citizens.[4] Jeff started working at Perkins Restaurant and Bakery while still in his high school. His high school football coach assisted with Ruby getting a scholarship to Cornell University.[4] Ruby attended Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, graduating in 1965.[5]

After graduating from Cornell, Ruby worked for Holiday Inn in Cincinnati. He met Johnny Bench and Pete Rose, and with their financial backing, Ruby was able to open his first restaurant, The Precinct, in 1981.[6] Ruby's second restaurant, The Waterfront, opened in 1986. The Waterfront was a floating restaurant on the Ohio River in Cincinnati. In the 2010s, The Waterfront struggled due to issues with the restaurant breaking free twice from its dock and a barge hitting it. The Waterfront became submerged in the Ohio River and had to be demolished in October 2014.[7]

In 1999, Ruby opened Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse. The steakhouse expanded with a second location in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2001, and between 2016 and 2019 to Columbus, Lexington, and Nashville.[8][9][10][11][12] In Spring of 2020, Ruby made daughter Brittany Ruby Miller CEO of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment.[13]

In 2010, Ruby began sponsoring jockeys in support of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.[14] In 2018, the Spiral Stakes, an American Thoroughbred horse race at Turfway Park, was renamed the Jeff Ruby Steaks.[15] In 2016, Ruby made a cameo appearance in the biopic "Gotti" (2018), which portrays life of John Gotti, the boss of the Gambino crime family.[16][17][18]

Public image

[edit]

In 2013, three former waitstaff employees from Carlo & Johnny and Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse downtown filed a federal lawsuit against the restaurants, claiming they were compelled to contribute some of their tips to a pooled fund.[19] In February 2024, another former employee initiated a class action federal labor lawsuit against Jeff Ruby Steaks, alleging that seven of the restaurants required tipped employees to share tips with back-of-house staff.[20][21] Ruby characterized the allegations as originating from a "former disgruntled employee" and stated that the company intended to defend itself in court.[22][23]

In 2007, Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in Louisville made national news when Jeff refused to serve O. J. Simpson.[24] Also in 2016, he banned Donald Trump from his restaurant during a campaign visit due to insulting comments Trump made about Arizona Sen. John McCain and other POWs, questioning their status as heroes.[25] In 2023, Ruby catered a special dinner for the Damar Hamlin family at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.[26] Various celebrities, including Drake and Sylvester Stallone, are frequent diners at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse.[27][28]

In 2014, Ruby published his autobiography called Not Counting Tomorrow: The Unlikely Life of Jeff Ruby.[29][30]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Moorwood, Victoria. "'Jeff Ruby Way' coming to a Downtown street in honor of local restaurateur". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  2. ^ Bollaci, Fred (July 16, 2016). "EFF RUBY'S STEAKHOUSE & THE PRECINCT BY JEFF RUBY". Fred Bollaci Enterprises. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  3. ^ Bleiberg, Larry. "10Best: Kix Brooks sings the praises of these steakhouses". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  4. ^ a b Paolello, Sheree (23 May 2017). "Meet Jeff Ruby: The story behind the provocative, outspoken restaurateur". wlwt.com. WLWT. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  5. ^ Weaver, Bridgett (2017-11-21). "IN PERSON: Jeff Ruby says, 'They come to our restaurants to celebrate life'". Louisville Business First. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  6. ^ Wiley, Chelsea (9 December 2017). "Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse Is Audacious, Excessive, And Outrageous ... And You're Going To Love It". Columbus Navigator. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  7. ^ BieryGolic, Keith (October 17, 2014). "Ruby's Waterfront became 'Poseidon Adventure'". Cincinnati. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  8. ^ "Jeff Ruby says Louisville steakhouse is staying open". WDRB. August 12, 2020. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  9. ^ "A Look Inside: Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse". Nashville Guru. 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  10. ^ Pandolfi, Keith (January 18, 2022). "'We will not let you down.' Jeff Ruby's to provide 'safe space' for Bengals fans in Nashville". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  11. ^ Brownfield, Andy (May 5, 2016). "Jeff Ruby opening Columbus steakhouse". Cincinnati Business Courier. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  12. ^ "Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse announces Lexington opening; reservations being accepted". WKYT. March 28, 2019. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  13. ^ Coolidge, Jason Williams and Sharon. "Jeff Ruby's empire celebrates 40 years soon, and Britney Ruby Miller is building on dad's legacy". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  14. ^ Chengery, Elyse (May 16, 2018). "Restauranteur [sic] Jeff Ruby talks charity work for injured jockeys, sponsoring KY Derby winner". NBC 4I. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  15. ^ "From Spiral Stakes to Jeff Ruby Steaks". The Enquirer. January 25, 2018. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  16. ^ Brownfield, Andy (August 16, 2016). "Jeff Ruby cast in John Travolta film". Cincinnati Business Courier. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  17. ^ Baker, Jennifer (2018-06-15). "Cincinnati-shot 'Gotti' biopic opens Friday with Jeff Ruby, Joe Deters in scenes". FOX19. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  18. ^ Motsinger, Carol (June 15, 2018). "'Gotti' is about a New York City icon, but we spotted Cincinnati throughout the new movie". Cincinnati. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  19. ^ Katko, Ben (2013-08-27). "Jeff Ruby responds to suit from ex-employees". FOX19. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  20. ^ Kelso, Alicia (2024-03-11). "Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse parent sued for tip theft". Restaurant Hospitality. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  21. ^ Six, Taylor; Patton, Janet (2024-02-28). "Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse parent sued for tip theft". Restaurant Hospitality. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  22. ^ King, Courtney (2024-02-28). "Lawsuit filed against Jeff Ruby's; CEO says 'untrue'". FOX19. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  23. ^ Sick, Chelsea (2024-02-28). "Former employee files class action lawsuit against Jeff Ruby restaurants over shared tips". WKRC. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  24. ^ Harvey, Scott (May 9, 2007). "Restaurant owner says O.J. Simpson just not welcome". Wave 3. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  25. ^ Aldridge, Kevin S. "He kicked out O.J. Simpson, banned Donald Trump from his restaurant. But what about Sarah Sanders?". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  26. ^ Ogwude, Haadiza. "'It becomes personal for me': Restauranteur Jeff Ruby caters free dinner for Damar Hamlin's family". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  27. ^ Hodges, Bebe (2024-03-02). "'Rocky' actor Sylvester Stallone spotted at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  28. ^ Behrens, Cole (2024-02-23). "Here's where Drake stopped for dinner in Columbus after one of his shows". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  29. ^ Williams, Jason. "Cincinnati restaurant icon serves up autobiography". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  30. ^ Ruby, Jeff; Windeler, Jeffrey; Windeler, Robert (2013). Not Counting Tomorrow: The Unlikely Life of Jeff Rudy. Independent Publisher. ISBN 978-1-4675-9348-9.
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