Amid the dazzling variety of dining options in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Lawry’s The Prime Rib has held its own as a dining destination for years. Celebrated for its top-tier prime rib, presented and carved right at your table in an exquisite exhibition of culinary craftsmanship, this legendary restaurant delivers more than a mere meal—Lawry’s promises an immersive experience harking back to an era of opulent dining where attention to detail reigns supreme. The restaurant’s luxuriant, mahogany-adorned interiors, together with its staff’s flawless attire, craft an unforgettable atmosphere that complements its distinguished menu.
Why Lawry’s Remains the Name in Prime Rib
“Lawry’s The Prime Rib, originally a single entrée menu concept, was founded in 1938 in Beverly Hills, Calif., and quickly set about changing consumer expectations,” Ryan O’Melveny Wilson, CEO of Lawry’s Restaurants Inc. told us of the restaurant’s history. “Throughout its rich 85-year history, Lawry’s brought many revolutions to the fine dining experience, including presenting salad before the entree, valet parking, seasoning salt and doggie bags. Lawrence Frank developed seasoning especially for Lawry’s beef in 1938 in his home kitchen. “Lawry’s Seasoned Salt” continues to be used today and still enjoys enormous popularity. Lawry’s also established and maintains the unique practice of bringing a carver and shining silver serving cart to each diner’s table. In 1938, the original carts cost as much as a Cadillac car and were thus considered the Cadillac of carts.”
Though prime rib is nothing new to a city filled with discounted dining specials and buffets, the cuts and quality at Lawry’s continue to stand out in a competitive steakhouse city. “Lawry’s is special because we think of so many little details that make for a memorable dining experience,” Wilson said of the Lawry’s dining experience. “Whether it’s a personal introduction, the appointments at the table like a chilled salad fork, or the fact that you can always get the doneness of meat you want, and — if you’re not satisfied with your cut — we’re happy to recut another slice. We pride ourselves on being a restaurant hospitality concept that goes above and beyond to anticipate our guests’ needs. We have a tried and true recipe and procedure for our prime rib that is 85 years in the works. We spend a great amount of time procuring the meat and making sure it’s aged to our standards. It’s also the experience of having a trained carver slicing the prime rib at the table right in front of you, which allows our guests to ensure it’s exactly what they want.”
At Lawry’s, the old adage holds true: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. “We have been very fortunate to not require a lot of change on our menus throughout the years,” Wilson told us. “Lawry’s started a single-menu concept in 1938, serving only prime rib at the time, expanding to include more dishes as time went on. Small improvements like offering sour cream on the baked potato didn’t occur until the 1980s. As diets have trended lighter over the last few decades, we’ve expanded our menu to incorporate more steak and seafood options to allow guests to dine with us more often and with more variety. We’ve also added some more appetizers and desserts, which are really less about the food items and more about giving guests more opportunities for celebration, particularly when it comes to the desserts as a sweet way to end a big meal. Recently, we’ve added some great shareable dessert options like a Baked Alaska and a See’s Candies C.C. Brown’s Hot Fudge Sundae.”
“Our classic signature items, like our roasted prime ribs of beef and the famous spinning bowl salad, are some of our most popular items on the menu. Some other fan favorites include our shrimp and corn fritters made with a very light egg white-based batter and served with our house-made remoulade, and our salmon Rockefeller, which is a wonderful contemporary dish that derives from the traditional oysters Rockefeller.”
A step into Lawry’s hearkens back to a time when dining out was a true experience and not just a meal. “The original location had a lot of Art Deco design because that was appropriate for the time,” Wilson said of the restaurant’s designs. “When we moved to our second location in Beverly Hills, the design evolved beyond Art Deco, but the cart and the uniforms have always been the hallmarks of the Art Deco design. That was true to the initial designs in 1938, so when you see our Las Vegas restaurant, which was designed in the 90s, it was easy and comfortable for us to bring those Art Deco themes into the design and encompass the history of the city.”
Beyond prime rib, Lawry’s has made a name for itself in the world of cooking and culinary arts. “My great-grandfather, Lawrence Frank, thought prime rib was the greatest meal in America, so he took something very popular in people’s homes and brought it to a unique, high-volume restaurant concept,” Wilson told us of the ways Lawry’s has contributed to the culinary landscape over the years with it’s world-famous Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. “He did it with the same thoughtfulness and attention to detail that goes into a dinner party at your own home. When you look at the thoughtful details, like valet parking and the seasoned salt on the table, you can see they were trying to create the best guest experience possible. The biggest contribution was starting the tradition of having your salad before the entree. Lawrence was such a proud Californian, especially when it came to California’s fresh produce. He believed that the produce was of such good quality that salad should be at the forefront of your meal rather than at the end. Over the last 85 years, Lawry’s has changed the entire guest service experience for the better.”
