Why Some Restaurants Only Offer Prime Rib On Certain Days

Sometimes you need to nestle into a leather booth with a glass of red wine and the biggest plate of prime rib you've ever seen in your life. Throw in some potatoes — mashed and buttery, or baked and ... also buttery — and a green vegetable for good measure, and that's pretty much a perfect night out. But it's becoming increasingly hard to find restaurants that serve prime rib every day of the week. Some have it on the menu only on weekends, while others ask you to check for availability. The question is, why?

Two reasons for this are that prime rib can be expensive, and it takes a long time to cook properly. As the cost of beef has gone up and consumption habits have changed (i.e. people are eating less red meat due to health and environmental concerns), prime rib has become, well, even more of a "prime" product. In Milwaukee Mag, Ward's House of Prime owner Brian Ward described what goes into preparing prime rib for restaurant service, and it's no easy feat. 

Typically, restaurants purchase whole standing rib roasts that then have to cook pretty much all day, before they're sliced and served. A rib roast takes "basically eight hours to be ready," said Ward. Because of this, servings are limited, and once the restaurant runs out, it's out. "It's not like you can just throw another tenderloin on the grill," Ward added. The cost and effort coupled with the fact that in general, people are eating fewer plate-sized hunks of beef for dinner, means that it just doesn't pay for most restaurants to keep prime rib on the regular menu. 

There are still plenty of restaurants where you can get prime rib. Some old-school joints specialize in it and serve it every day, like Lawry's Prime Rib or Ward's House of Prime, mentioned above. Restaurants serving up slices will often have the words "prime" or "prime rib" in the name, but not always (we're looking at you, Smoke House).

There are also chain restaurants that serve a quality prime rib, like Texas Roadhouse, Outback Steakhouse, and 801 Chophouse, which all have overwhelmingly positive reviews online. The Texas Roadhouse prime rib is supposedly available every day of the week, but you may still want to call your specific location if you're hoping to order it to make sure. Some customers on Reddit have expressed that availability seems to vary from restaurant to restaurant. With what we've learned about what it takes to prepare prime rib, it makes sense that portions may be limited.

Prime rib may not be as popular as it used to be, but there is still enough demand for that sumptuous, slow-cooked cut of beef that you can find it fairly easily if you have a craving. And if you're really dedicated, you can make it at home. In fact, we've got eight tips you need to make the absolute best prime rib, every time.