Kevin, tell us about your background in restaurants and how you became interested in wine.
It goes back to my first job at a country club in New Hampshire. I was lucky enough to be involved with a small but knowledgeable team of people that took wine education and training very seriously. I was amazed at how much knowledge and romance could be squeezed into a 750 ml glass bottle. Although this was my first significant foray into the wine world, I caught the “wine bug” as a child. My mother owned and operated a thriving food & beverage demonstrating company in the Northeast and often had fledgling winemakers and winery owners in town to sample products. Watching the excitement and wonder as people tasted wine and learned about the subtle nuances exposed in the bouquet and initial flavors and aromas had a profound effect on me.

You have a mandatory Ruth’s Chris Steak House Wine Program.Tell us the philosophy and how it works.Who are your primary wine partners?
Ruth’s Chris core wine list is comprised of approximately 300 selections. Of these, the by-the-glass list comprises approximately 40. While all restaurants carry these core selections, we realize that, depending on location and time of year, drinking patterns change. To that end, we encourage each restaurant to carry additional selections based on guest preference. For example, guest favorites are often solicited from our regular clientele and added to our list. They are also chosen from local vineyards in Ruth’s Chris markets that are wine-producing regions. And in many of our restaurants we assemble a panel of top servers and front-of-house staff to meet monthly and go through potential additions. Our wine partners are selected on a quarterly basis. We look for small production, highly allocated wines to offer guests for these promotions. For 2007, we are looking forward to featuring wineries such as Gary Farrell, Bernardus Winery in Carmel, and a small Super Tuscan property owned by the Ruffino family, among other distinguished vineyards.

How many restaurants do you have, and how many are opening in 2007? How many are company owned, and how many are franchised?
As of January 2007, we have 100 restaurants worldwide. We look forward to opening as many as six to seven corporate restaurants this year and six to eight franchise restaurants. Franchises are responsible for helping build the Ruth’s Chris name and in the early years were the majority of our operations. Currently, they make up approximately 50 percent of our units and are treated as our company-owned units would be. Franchise owners use our core wine list in their restaurants and participate in many of our features throughout the year.

Are wines by the glass included on your food menu? How many ounces is your pour? Do you offer two-ounce tastes of wines by the glass?
Our beverage program is extremely important to us, being that our roots are in New Orleans, home of the cocktail and one of the first wine epicenters in the New World. We are especially proud of our by-the-glass selections and list them in all menus, including bar, dinner, and dessert menus. Our standard wine pour is six ounces, served in a 22.5-ounce crystal Bordeaux stem to enhance the aroma and flavors. We don’t offer smaller portions for sale but offer guests the opportunity to taste any wine by the glass before they purchase to find a style and product they like.

What type of glass racking system do you use? How do you wash wine glasses?
Our glass racking system is an inverted wine glass stem holder, usually incorporated into our back bar design and backlit to keep the bowl and rim of the stemware from touching any surface. Our crystal is delicate, and we have made a significant investment in ensuring that the guest gets the best possible experience from it. We typically have a standalone washing unit used for wine glasses only to ensure that no off flavors or loose food particles are in contact with glasses.

You recently promoted Bordeaux wines working with Sopexa USA and their National Accounts specialist, Janet Epstein.Were you pleased with the results of the promotion? If so, what would be the continuing positive effects?
We were extremely pleased with this promotion, and it had a significant effect on our Bordeaux wine sales. It is easy to forget now that we are awash in thousands of great domestic wines that there is so much history and phenomenal wine to be had across the Atlantic. Training our staff members to be educated on all products, no matter how large or small our particular sales may be, lets us ensure that every guest gets a worldclass experience no matter where they are from. (Not to mention that Bordeaux produces some of the world’s greatest steak wines.)

How do you structure your wine promotions?
Our core list runs on a one-year cycle. Each year, we review current selections to ensure they still meet our guests’ high standards. At the same time we explore upcoming wines from producers and regions throughout the world. There is no such thing as the “perfect” wine list, but we are constantly tinkering with what we offer to ensure we will have something for everyone. We also have a feature wine program that runs quarterly and explores little-known or exclusive wines from around the world. Typically, we negotiate very competitive prices based on the quantity of our orders, and we pass this savings on to guests, who get to enjoy rare wines at very fair prices. Finally, from time to time, we will partner with a winery to offer an exclusive wine for an extended period of time. A great example of this is the new wine from Chateau Ste. Michelle and winemaker Bob Berthau. It is called “Orphelin” (literally translated as “orphan”) and is a blend of up to 13 different Rhone grapes to produce a domestic Rhone-style wine. This is an amazing marriage of the New World and the Old and expresses how Washington Terroir adds depth and character to Old World grapes. It can only be found at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in 2007.

Why do you feel wine flights have suddenly taken off? How do you handle wine flights?
Wine flights have become increasingly important the last 10 years as the American consumer becomes more enamored with wine and explores tastes and preferences. Flights let guests try smaller portions of different wines, giving them a chance to explore or “travel” the world of wine (hence the term “flight”) without committing to higher quantities and price points. Flights also work well if you are indecisive as to which wine to order with your meal.

How do you manage wine training? What do you see as the next big thing in wine education?
We have just instituted an Internet-based training program for pre-hire, new, and existing employees to ensure that all team members are fully knowledgeable about our products. We also have a program that has been in place for the last three years in which we certify our general managers, beverage managers, and key employees in the restaurant with the Introductory Course from the Court of Master Sommeliers. We have devised a 13-week, self-guided program that prepares them for the testing process. This unparalleled level of training ensures that each guest has the benefit of a certified Sommelier to help them make wine selections each time they dine with us.

How do you preserve opened bottles of wine?
We currently use a system called Vacu-Vin, which is a vacuum pump that removes excess oxygen from the bottle of wine. It is an uninvasive process that is gentle on the wine and extends the shelf life of the wine by one to two days. That being said, we are always exploring new avenues to give our guests the freshest possible glass of wine they can get anywhere.

Is there a Ruth’s Chris Wine Club for customers? Is there a Ruth’s Chris Wine Society for your servers? If so, how do they work?
Some of the services we deliver via e-mail and other means of communication with regular guests are updates and information on new, trendy, or up-and-coming wine regions, as well as insight into new wines being offered. We have also instituted a live chat feature, sent directly to me, to answer any questions a guest may have on wine (whether a Ruth’s Chris wine or not). We want guests to have every resource at their fingertips to ensure they have a world-class experience. We also do a Wine Society/Rewards program for managers throughout the country. Called Ruth’s Chris University, the program honors managers who embody the passion to train and deliver the best wine/beverage experience possible. Select managers are eligible to win an educational trip as a reward for this passion and dedication. Partnering with our good friends at Icon wines, we take a group of 12 managers to a different area of the world every year to enjoy activities such as harvest and winemaking expeditions, food and wine pairing seminars, and immersion in the wine experience. In its second year, it has been wildly successful in keeping our teams excited about wine and wine education.

What are your favorite wines and why?
Ah, the infamous question. Truth be told, it would be easy to say something esoteric that no one has ever heard of (which many of us in the business like to do). But at Ruth’s Chris, we believe wine is something that can and should be enjoyed by everyone, and we seek to make the process of selecting and ordering wine as seamless and comfortable as possible. Our aforementioned staff education initiatives are a key step in making this a reality because a knowledgeable staff always makes wine selection easier for the guest. To your question about my favorites, the heart of it all is Champagne. Champagne is easily the most versatile of all wines, and arguably the world’s best food pairing wine (due to its uncommon combination of acidity and yeasty backbone). Whether it is morning or evening, with food or without, I can always enjoy a glass of Champagne … or two.

Fred Tibbitts & Associates Inc. is a leading global wine-by-the-glass consultant, working with on-premise chains around the world. Contact him at fredbev@fredtibbitts.com.