Ruth’s Chris Asks Adults to Dress Like Adults, and the Internet Has a Full Meltdown – PJ Media

“David! Take off that Plotch!” 

Orders were only given maybe twice in my life to me by my mother because if I didn’t take my hat off, I would feel the consequences, if you know what I mean.

Twenty-five years ago, the very idea that a nice restaurant would even need to set a dress code for normal folks would’ve sounded completely ridiculous.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House simply reminded their guests that they run a kind of high-end place, not a dive bar, asking for business casual attire. No gym wear, no tank tops, and no offensive graphics. Oh, and take your bloody hat off in the dining room or sit at the bar.

🚨New: Ruth’s Chris Steak House has a new dress code “business casual” for customers to wear proper attire with diners who don’t comply being relegated to the bar.

“Kindly remove all hats when entering the restaurant. Guests wearing ball caps are asked to dine in the… pic.twitter.com/PFCTYseIDK

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) March 20, 2026

They’re not asking anything crazy, just basic respect for the atmosphere people are paying a fortune to enjoy.

And guess what happened?

The left and the internet had a total meltdown. People acted like  Ruth’s Chris had just banned breathing. Then Chili’s jumped in with a snarky post saying their only dress code is that guests must be dressed.

the only dress code at Chili’s is that you have to be dressed. https://t.co/7oN2naSrRm

— Chili’s Grill & Bar (@Chilis) March 20, 2026

A chain restaurant built around burgers and margaritas took a shot at a steakhouse for having standards. The hypocrisy is thicker than their queso.

Ruth’s Chris made clear their policy reflects the experience they intend to provide, which includes maintaining an environment that matches the price point and expectations of their guests.

Business casual isn’t a burden; it’s the baseline for a place charging top dollar for eating cow.

This entire episode exposes how deranged parts of our culture have become. To many of our friends on the left these days, I’m apparently a male chauvinist because I open doors for women, help carry heavy bags, and still say, “Please, may I?” and “Thank you.”

I taught my daughters those same habits without even realizing how much it mattered. Years ago, we stopped for gas in southern Ohio during a wedding trip. They used proper manners with the cashier, who stopped what she was doing, praised how well-mannered they were, and credited their upbringing. That moment sticks with me because it shows how rare basic courtesy has become. 

I can’t take credit for the upbringing because, quite frankly, my parents quietly demanded politeness, so that’s how I live, and my girls paid attention.

Captain Cons, writing at Barstool Sports, praised Ruth’s Chris for pushing back hard against the slide and trying to bring standards back into everyday life. This reaction resonated because it tapped into something people recognize but rarely say out loud. 

I, for one, am thrilled about this even if it’s been a rule for a while. Unless you’re new around here, you know I am in favor of enforcing guardrails on our society. I don’t need to dive deep into the sociological impacts of how we speak, dress, and act, but plenty of folks far smarter than me have done the research. The research says if we comport ourselves better in public, society improves. 

I am not out here trying to be the manners police or the fashion police or the gentleman police. 

It isn’t accidental that standards have largely disappeared; they’ve been chipped away, mocked, and treated as optional until almost nothing remains.

The loudest critics of the dress code often demand respect in every other setting, where they expect rules, accommodations, and sensitivity when it benefits them. Ask for a simple level of effort in return, like dressing appropriately for a near high-end restaurant (I know there are very high-end food places, but I’m not sure where Ruth’s Chris rates—for me, very high-end!), and suddenly it becomes oppression, back of the bus, y’all. That contradiction doesn’t need analysis; it speaks for itself.

Ruth’s Chris didn’t create a problem; leadership enforced a standard that used to be understood without explanation, a choice that exposed how far expectations have slipped.

Chili’s can keep posting jokes, and social media can keep spinning, but none of it changes the core issue: standards only disappear when people stop defending them. The reaction to a basic dress code says more about the critics than the restaurant.

And it’s not flattering.