Lawry's

Lawry's The Prime Rib

Restaurant information
Established 1938
Current owner(s) Lawry's Restaurants
Head chef Dana Dare
Food type American, gourmet, prime rib
Dress code Smart casual[1]
Street address La Cienega Boulevard, Beverly Hills
City Los Angeles
County Los Angeles
State California
Country United States
Website www.lawrysonline.com

Lawry's The Prime Rib /ˈlaʊəriːz/ is an upscale gourmet restaurant chain specializing in prime rib. The original location on Restaurant Row on La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California, was opened in 1938 by Lawrence L. "Lawry" Frank and Walter Van de Kamp. There are now several additional locations in the United States and world wide. The company is still operated by the families of the founders, with Richard R. Frank, grandson of Lawrence Frank, serving as president and CEO.[2]

For many years Lawry's carvery was unique in having only a single entrée on its menu, standing rib roast. It now offers alternatives such as vegetarian specials and lobster tails, but retains its focus on carved-to-order roast beef served tableside from a large metal cart.

History

In 1922 Frank and Van de Kamp founded the Lawry's company and created the Tam O'Shanter Inn restaurant in the Atwater Village district of Los Angeles, California, which claims to be the oldest restaurant in Los Angeles still operated by the same family in the same location.[2] Frank created a special seasoned salt for use at Tam O'Shanter, which was available only to customers.

In 1938 the two opened Lawry's The Prime Rib on La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The same year, Lawry's began marketing its signature seasoned salt in retail stores. This was the beginning of a food products empire under the Lawry's name that today sells a wide range of seasonings and flavorings. The line was sold to Lipton/Unilever in 1979, which in turn sold it to McCormick & Company in 2008.[3]

In 1947 Lawry's restaurant moved from its original location on La Cienega across the street and a few blocks further south to a larger, mostly windowless, strikingly modernistic building designed by Wayne McAllister. In 1993 it moved to a new building on the original site. McAllister's building is now occupied by The Stinking Rose, a well-known garlic-themed Italian restaurant.

In 1956, just prior to the 1957 Rose Bowl Game between the Oregon State Beavers and the Iowa Hawkeyes, Lawry's entertained the two competing teams. The Beavers were fed a prime rib dinner at the Beverly Hills restaurant and the Hawkeyes the same on the Pasadena City College football field following their practice. This started an annual tradition of hosting both Rose Bowl-bound teams, although following the inaugural event with Iowa the Big Ten teams were served outside Rose Bowl Stadium from 1957-1962. By 1963, when Illinois and Washington both dined at the restaurant on separate nights prior to the 1964 Rose Bowl Game, the two team events had become known as "Lawry's Beef Bowl."[4] The Beef Bowl has expanded to the Dallas, Texas, location for the two Cotton Bowl participants.

In 1974, Lawry's opened a satellite in Chicago's River North district,[5] followed by restaurants in Dallas in 1983 and Las Vegas in 1997. Internationally, Lawry's opened in Jakarta in 1996, Singapore 1999, Tokyo 2001, Taipei 2002, Hong Kong 2006, Shanghai & Osaka in 2008,[6][7] and Seoul in 2013.[8] However, the Jakarta location is now closed. [9]

Menu

Along with roasted prime ribs of beef, the restaurant is known for its Yorkshire pudding and signature "spinning salad."[5] Salads in those days usually consisted of fruit, cottage cheese, or gelatin; Lawry's restaurant was one of the first to feature a green salad as an integral part of every meal.[10] The salad, introduced when the restaurant opened in 1938,[5] is prepared tableside by a server who spins a large metal bowl of greens atop a bed of ice. The salad dressing, "Vintage classic dressing with sherry wine", is sold in bottles at the restaurant but not at retail.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.lawrysonline.com/theprimerib_beverlyhills_gen_info.asp
  2. 1 2 D'Onofrio-Holter, Anne (May 13, 2010). "Lawry execs visit Rotary". Arcadia's Best. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Unilever to close Lawry's deal with McCormick". Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  4. ↑ Erickson, Todd (2005). Road to the Rose Bowl: 50 Years of Lawry's Beef Bowl. Silverback Books. ISBN 9781596370340.
  5. 1 2 3 Zeldes, Leah A. (Dec 9, 2009). "Eat this! Don Roth's Blackhawk salad dressing to go on spinning". Dining Chicago. Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. Retrieved Dec 10, 2009.
  6. ↑ Lawry's International locations
  7. ↑ Lawry's Osaka
  8. ↑ Lawry’s The Prime Rib opens first Seoul outlet
  9. ↑ lawrysonline.com/international locations
  10. ↑ Frank, Richard Nathan (1987). Lawry's Foods, Inc: A Blending of Dreams. Newcomen Society of the United States. p. 16.

External links

Coordinates: 34°04′04″N 118°22′34″W / 34.0678°N 118.3760°W / 34.0678; -118.3760

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