Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in downtown Louisville gets massive makeover. Take a peek inside

Just like a good steak, the Ruby family has a thing for a good phrase.

“You have to spend money to make money” is a favorite from Britney Ruby Miller, CEO of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment.

A go-to for her father, the restaurateur Jeff Ruby, goes like this: “Short-term greed leads to long-term regrets.”

These reflect some reasons behind the decision to close the Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in downtown in July for a multi-million dollar renovation.

“We’ve never undergone a major renovation here,” Miller told the Courier Journal Friday. “A lot of people were like, ‘Why are you renovating? It’s fine the way that it is.’”

“Fine,” though, isn't a good phrase.

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse at 325 Main St. shut down for two months to “completely gut” the restaurant, which originally opened in 2006. The fine-dining eatery reopens Saturday with slightly more space (it added 28 seats and 880 square feet), revamped flooring and fixtures, an added private dining room and 25 new menu items.

During a media preview Friday, the re-opening reveal focused on the updated interior, such as new black-and-white marble table tops and flooring, plush velvet for booths, extra art deco-themed paintings and crystal chandeliers.

“We want our staff to be able to say, ‘We’ve got the most beautiful restaurant in Louisville,’” Miller said. “I don't know that six months ago we could’ve said that. It was still beautiful. It just needed some love.”

Visitors will likely love this addition: A bright red piano hovers above the bar, behind a mountain of bourbon and other liquor bottles.

Off to the left upon entering Jeff Ruby’s is a new private dining room dubbed “The Ruby Room," another renovation standout. The recently built space is filled with red velvet, from the curtains to the booths to the floor. Hanging on the back wall, almost serving as the room’s centerpiece, is a framed photo of Jeff Ruby seated at a table wearing a crisp white shirt, dark suit jacket, neck scarf and plenty of silver rings.

On Friday, the franchise founder sported a different look, consisting of a bejeweled blue jacket adorned with flashy nods to Kentucky, from a row of goldenrod to logos for Maker’s Mark and Churchill Downs.

Though Ruby opened his first iteration of the steakhouse that shares his name in Cincinnati, he credits the Louisville restaurant with the eventual expansion of Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, which now includes locations in Nashville, Columbus, and Lexington. Ruby has formed a special relationship with Louisville, especially when it comes to the Kentucky Derby. That’s evidenced in the restaurant’s recently updated Churchill Room, which showcases photos of Ruby at the Derby with various jockeys and boasts dozens of brightly-colored jockey silks hanging from the ceiling.

Speaking of closing to renovate the restaurant, Ruby said he had to “bite the bullet and take the loss for that period of time.”

“We invested more money in this renovation than it cost to build the original 17 years ago,” Ruby told the Courier Journal. “It’s like an amusement park. You gotta add a new ride every now and then.”

After 17 years, styles change. Furniture sees wear and tear.

“Deprecation is a real thing at a busy restaurant,” Ruby said. “You have to get current and more up-to-date with the times. The period of 2023 is different than 2006.”

To mark the occasion of the reopening, Mayor Craig Greenberg declared Friday, Aug. 25, 2023 as “Jeff Ruby Day” in Louisville.

“For 17 years, we’ve celebrated some wonderful occasions at Jeff Ruby’s,” Greenberg said, while standing behind the bar. “This is such a great part of Louisville’s and Kentucky’s hospitality and dining scene. This restaurant is such a great part of downtown Louisville.”

Zac Young, a Louisville native with 20 years of restaurant experience, knows that first-hand. As of a year ago, he’s the executive chef at Jeff Ruby’s. Young worked with his team over the last two months to “enhance and elevate” the restaurant’s menu and presentation.

“We knew we had menu items we wanted to test and curate for the re-launch,” he said. “It was definitely time for a more expansive change.”

Young said he was most excited about a new Kentucky ham board and entrees with pork, salmon, roasted chicken, and Dover sole.

Plus, Jeff Ruby’s will launch some social media-worthy tableside desserts. A “Ruby Vuitton” key lime mousse and strawberry cake will visually look like a Louis Vitton purse. Expect the same type of idea for the “Cassius Cake,” which will resemble a Muhammad Ali boxing glove.

As the restaurant reopens, Young says he opens to keep “pushing the creative envelope.”

“Before I even worked here, I would’ve said Jeff Ruby’s was my favorite restaurant,” he said. “It’s really special for me to get to participate in a restaurant that I already thought was the best. We want to keep it at the top of the top.”

As for when patrons finally revisit the Louisville staple, Miller offers another phrase: "We want to take people's breath away."

Reach Food & Dining Reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in downtown Louisville gets massive makeover