The Pine Club

Business model

The Pine Club operates with a few firm rules: no dessert, no credit cards, and no reservations. It opens its doors at 4 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, but won't take food orders until 4:30. On Saturdays, a queue often forms by 3:30. In 1988, Secret Service agents trying to book a table for George and Barbara Bush were told to expect a 45-minute wait.

Customers can set up a house account on the spot, receiving a bill at home; by 2022, over half of sales were handled this way. The restaurant buys up neighboring properties to steer what opens nearby. One of these buildings houses a Ben & Jerry's, which the general manager placed there deliberately because the restaurant itself offers no dessert. In 2022, the restaurant bought another adjacent property to stop it from becoming a bar or similar establishment.

Reception

In 2019, The Pine Club was featured on Cooking Channel's The Best Thing I Ever Ate as chef Jonathon Sawyer's choice, who said the whole experience was the best thing he ever ate. In 2015, Food Network named it the #2 steakhouse in the country, calling it an unmatched blend of high-end dining and Midwest hospitality. In 2013, The New York Times' Style Magazine named it one of ten of the world's greatest old dining institutions. In 2012, Michael Stern named it his favorite steakhouse in the country.

Jane and Michael Stern wrote that the Pine Club's hamburger may be the biggest flavored hamburger anywhere. In 2006, Gourmet named them one of ten restaurants serving the best fried potatoes in the country. The Pine Club won three categories in Dayton.com's Best of 2018 awards: Best Classic Restaurant, Best Fine Dining and Best Steak.

Did You Know?

• The Pine Club was originally Lonnie's Bar, purchased by Jim Sullivan, who paneled the interior in pine and opened it as a steak house.
• Lloyd Meinzer purchased the restaurant in 1954 and added space to the south, doubling the size of the bar and expanding seating.
• Salmon was added to the menu in the early 2020s after several years of discussion.