New Deals at Ruth's Chris & Fleming's Steakhouses

Tenderloin Skewers over Spring Greens

Yesterday, Ruth's Chris Steak House announced their new "Sizzle, Swizzle, and Swirl" Happy Hour.  The new happy hour menu:

...will feature brand new bar bites alongside signature items for $7.00 each, as well as hand-crafted cocktails, premium wines and select beers. After Happy Hour, Sizzle, Swizzle and Swirl menu offerings can be enjoyed at the bar at regular pricing.

The items on the menu include:

• USDA Prime Burger with Fries - Tenderloin Skewers over Spring Greens - New England Lobster Roll with Fries - Three Petite Prime Sliders - Sliced Filet Steak Sandwich with Fries - Seared Ahi Tuna, and Spicy Lobster. 

On the drink side you will find "hand crafted cocktails, such as the Classic Cosmo, the Pomegranate Martini, and Ruth's Manhattan made with premium spirits, and daily fresh-squeezed juices."

You can find the two Ruth's Chris locations in Arizona here.

Filet Mignon & North Atlantic Lobster Tail Dinner

Meanwhile, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse is celebrating spring break by offering Filet Mignon and North Atlantic Lobster Tail Dinner along with an appetizer and a side for $34.95 until April 7.  From the press release:

...guests can start the Spring Break Celebration with their choice of the Wedge Salad with crisp iceberg lettuce with grape tomatoes, red onions and crumbled blue cheese or French Onion Soup baked with gruyere and parmesan cheeses.  The generous filet mignon—Fleming's leanest meat—and broiled lobster tail with drawn butter are accompanied by a choice of French Green Beans with shiitake mushrooms and porcini essence or Fleming's Mashed Potatoes topped with blue cheese, parmesan-peppercorn or roasted garlic. 

Keep in mind that you will not find the Spring Break Celebration selections on the regular menu as they are only available upon request.

Check out one of the five Arizona Fleming's locations here.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/14/2692955/new-premium-happy-hour-at-ruths.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/14/2692955/new-premium-happy-hour-at-ruths.html#storylink=cp

New Buffalo Chicken Pizza at Papa John's

The world's third largest pizza purveyor has introduced a Buffalo Chicken Pizza which is described in the press release as:

...a savory combination of creamy ranch sauce, all-white sliced chicken strips, crispy bacon, fresh-sliced onions and 100% real cheese made from mozzarella, all topped with a tangy, spicy buffalo sauce.

The large Buffalo Chicken Pizza from Papa John's will cost $10 but Buffalo chicken lovers should note, this pizza is not a permanent menu offering and will only be available until the end of April. 

Burger King Offering Free Fries for St. Patrick's Day Weekend

To coincide with St. Patrick's Day, for the second time in a three month span, Burger King will be giving away a free "value" size order of fries with no purchase or coupon necessary:

On Saturday, March 17^th and Sunday, March 18^th, customers can stop in at participating BURGER KING^® restaurants to celebrate the luck of the Irish with some gold of their own – a “pot” of golden-brown, crispy French fries that is!

Also offered with the free fries is a specially colored ketchup by Heinz that Burger King has named "St. Paddy’s Sauce."  

New Grocery Chain Hitting Phoenix Area

Coming to the Valley in early April from Boise, Idaho, WinCo Foods is hoping to do in the Phoenix area what it has done in previous areas of expansion:

WinCo aims to be the low-cost leader in all of its markets and has quickly grabbed market share in every new territory it has entered.

The challenge will not be easy though due to the extraordinary variety of grocery offerings in the Phoenix metro area, which according to AZCentral include:

...mainstream chains Fry's, Walmart, Safeway, Albertsons and Bashas', there are niche players Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Fresh & Easy, along with Hispanic markets Food City, Pro's Ranch Markets and El Super. Retail chains Target, Walgreens and CVS also have recently expanded their grocery sections.

Many more names could be added to the above list, but I think the point is made that this will surely be WinCo's toughest market yet.

The employee owned store's description may sound similar to current valley stores like Fresh & Easy on one side and Costco on the other:

Typical stores have concrete floors and metal racks and display much of the merchandise on pallets. There are separate meat, seafood, bakery and deli departments and large bulk-food areas...While they are not necessarily warehouse stores, the "Wall of Values," where WinCo displays its special buys, is reminiscent of Costco or Sam's Club. To keep down costs, customers bag their own groceries and can't pay with a credit card because of the high transaction fees charged by the issuing banks. Debit cards are accepted, along with cash and checks.

Check out interior photos of WinCo via their Facebook page.

WinCo's first two ventures will be located at 330 W. Bell Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85023 and 5850 W. Bell Rd. Glendale, AZ 85308.  The Phoenix store is a former Walmart spot while the Glendale location used to be a Costco.  In addition, while not ready to make any announcements, WinCo has also looked into further Glendale locations and a possible Gilbert store.

You can get more information and read about customer experience with WinCo at AZCentral.