LEON: Congressional ‘Steak Summit’ proposed

Louisvillians want congressman and restaurant operator to “squash the beef.”

With more and more Louisvillians expressing angst over the rising conflicts between Congressman John Yarmuth of Louisville and owner of Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, Jeff Ruby, pressure is mounting for someone to “squash the beef.”

The Kentucky Restaurant Association (KRA) has stepped up and proposed a “Steak Summit” between the two in hopes of avoiding further disputes. 

A tweet by restauranteur Jeff Ruby to his followers on Twitter two weeks ago has created a political fault line through out the city. The tweet, which read, “Don’t even think of being served @TheRealJeffRuby restaurants. You’ve been OJ’ed. With all due respect #notpolitical” [actually happened] was in response to Congressman Yarmuth’s protest of, and statements regarding the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress earlier this month. 

The list of banned people at Jeff Ruby’s, as referenced in his tweet, now includes OJ Simpson, who Ruby kicked out of his restaurant Derby night around 15 years ago and has not stopped talking about it, and Congressman John Yarmuth.

The tweet went viral and started to have real political and economic effects on other restaurants. While supporters of Ruby’s have rallied around the restaurateur for standing up for his beliefs, supporters of the Congressman have begun to boycott Ruby’s and other steakhouses around the city. In response, the KRA has proposed the two men sit down to discuss their differences and publicly demonstrate their unity for the sake of the community. 

Yarmuth has not issued a statement on the proposed summit, but has shown a recent favoritism towards a low-cab diet, which should leave the door open for a possible steak dinner. 

Other proposed names for the “Summit” include: “Meat and greet,” “Meating in the middle” and “For goodness steak.”

This article appears in March 18, 2015.