Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Employees in support of being CLOSED on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day

This year, 2010, the Ruth's Chris Corporation has chosen two stores to be tests for service on Christmas Day. Additionally, all US stores will be open for service on Thanksgiving Day. We, the employees of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, would like to petition to the appropriate persons, to be CLOSED on both Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Ruth Fertel founded our company in 1965. She was a hard-working, honest woman, who was dedicated and driven, but also a family woman. She took a chance on the restaurant business, as a single mother in the south, as a way to provide for her children. Her vision and attitude towards work was captured and expressed in our 4 concise Core Values:
-We will be profitable.
-We will be good civic citizens.
-We will continue to improve.
-We will value each other.
These values are the foundation upon which our company has been built. For many of us, Ruth's Chris has been our home for many, many years. We have paid mortages, rent, school tuition, car payments, and doctor's bills by working for Ruth's Chris. We have thrived in a time, like most recently, where other restaurants are closing their doors forever. We are ever grateful and so fortunate to be working for such a world-wide dining enterprise.

However, with recent decisions to be open on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, it seems as if the core value "We will be profitable" has overruled the "We will value eachother" core value. Ruth Fertel prided herself on creating not only a profitable business, but also one that fostered family, friends, and taking the time to enjoy those you love. We, the employees, feel that by being open on these two days of the year, not only devalues us as employees, but also, devalues Ruth and her spirit and legacy. Thanksgiving and Christmas are days to celebrate our family, to celebrate our friends, and to exhale the stress and mundane of every day life, and breathe in the love and purity that is the holiday season. It's a time for us to give back, cook, laugh, and love. It's a time to make memories, treasure our aging family members, and celebrate the newness with our new ones. It's the only days of the year where the money we "could be making" makes no difference to the love and memories that we are cherishing in our homes.

We, the loyal employees of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, emplore you to NOT be open on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Please give us the opportunity to spend 2 days out of 365, with our families and friends, giving thanks and honoring what the holiday is really about. Thank you for your time and consideration.