Roots Steakhouse

What Roots Steakhouse does

Roots Steakhouse is a privately held, upscale steakhouse chain founded in 2006 in Summit, New Jersey, operating under the Harvest Restaurants parent company. The chain runs traditional fine-dining restaurants featuring USDA aged prime beef (positioned as top 2% of cattle by USDA grading), center-cut beef grilled at 1800 degrees, seafood towers, a curated wine list, and classic cocktails. As of the current footprint, the company operates five locations across New Jersey (Summit, Morristown, Ridgewood, Princeton) and Connecticut (Darien), with a sixth Rumson location announced as coming soon, and has launched a seafood-forward sub-brand called Roots Ocean Prime in Princeton and Darien.

The business model is built on three revenue streams: (1) traditional dine-in food and beverage sales at the physical restaurants, (2) private events and catering booked through dedicated private dining rooms (with capacities ranging from 16 to 60 guests depending on location), managed via Tripleseat software, and (3) gift card sales distributed through the Harvest Restaurants parent platform. Reservations are handled through a partnership with the Resy third-party booking platform. Marketing channels are limited to the company's own website, an Instagram presence (@rootssteakhouse), and Resy's reservation system; no paid digital advertising, loyalty program, or app is disclosed. The technology stack is commodity restaurant software plus a website designed by Orphmedia; there is no proprietary AI, app, or platform layer.

The target customers are affluent fine-dining enthusiasts seeking USDA prime beef and a "civilized" clubby steakhouse atmosphere, plus a secondary segment of corporate and private event hosts requiring full-service event planning. The brand has earned regional recognition, including a 2013 Zagat review praising the "killer steaks" and "world-class wine list." Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and no financial, headcount, or ownership-structure details beyond the Harvest Restaurants parent relationship are available in the source material.

Name

Roots Steakhouse

Legal name

Roots Steakhouse

Website

https://rootssteakhouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Roots Steakhouse is an upscale steakhouse chain founded in 2006 in Summit, NJ, operating five fine dining locations across New Jersey and Connecticut under Harvest Restaurants. It serves affluent diners with USDA prime beef and hosts private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Dining Steakhouse

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)

Keywords

• Fine dining restaurants
• Steakhouse chain
• Private dining events
• USDA prime beef
• New York style steakhouse

Headquarters

HQ city

Morristown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Service: Traditional restaurant revenue from food and beverage sales. Diners order from menu featuring USDA aged prime beef and seafood. Revenue generated through per-transaction dining experiences at five locations.
2. Private Events and Catering: Private dining room bookings for special occasions and corporate events. Each location offers dedicated private event spaces with custom menus and full-service event management.
3. Gift Cards: Gift card sales through Harvest Restaurants platform

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Roots Steakhouse operates traditional New York-style steakhouse restaurants across five locations in New Jersey (Summit, Morristown, Ridgewood, Princeton) and Connecticut (Darien). The chain serves USDA aged prime beef, fresh seafood, and traditional steakhouse fare in an upscale dining environment, complemented by dedicated private event spaces at each location for celebrations and corporate functions. The brand operates under the Harvest Restaurants Group parent company.

Product overview

Roots Steakhouse is an old-fashioned New York style steakhouse chain operating multiple dining locations across New Jersey (Summit, Morristown, Ridgewood) and Connecticut (Darien), with Ocean Prime Concepts in Princeton and Darien. The company offers premium USDA aged prime beef, fine dining experiences, and private event hosting services through dedicated private dining rooms at each location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Roots Ocean Prime: Fine dining steakhouse and seafood restaurant concept operated by Roots Steakhouse, located in Princeton, NJ and Darien, CT.

Products and services

• Roots Steakhouse Dining Experience

Quantifiable outcome

• USDA Prime beef - top 2% of cattle

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered parent and core.

• Harvest RestaurantsparentOthersParent company that operates Roots Steakhouse brand. Handles gift card sales and corporate branding. © 2026 Roots Steakhouse indicated on website footer.
• ResycoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party reservation platform used across all Roots Steakhouse locations for online table bookings. Each location has a dedicated Resy booking page.
• TripleseatcoreTechnology or IntegrationPrivate event management software used for booking and managing private dining events across Roots Steakhouse locations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Capital Grille: Operated by Darden Restaurants, The Capital Grille is a national upscale steakhouse chain emphasizing dry-aged steaks, an extensive wine list, and private dining. Directly comparable to Roots on occasion mix, premium beef positioning, and private event offerings.
• Morton's The Steakhouse: Morton's is a long-established national upscale steakhouse chain serving USDA Prime aged steaks and seafood. Overlaps with Roots on the classic steakhouse experience, private dining rooms, and target affluent customer base.
• Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group: Smith & Wollensky operates classic American steakhouse restaurants with USDA Prime dry-aged beef and strong wine programs. Comparable on classic steakhouse positioning, private dining, and a small national footprint relative to other chains.
• Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse: Del Frisco's is an upscale steakhouse chain with locations across major U.S. cities offering prime steaks, premium seafood, and an extensive wine list. Comparable on the fine dining chophouse format and target clientele of affluent business and celebratory diners.
• Ruth's Chris Steak House: Ruth's Chris is the largest publicly-traded fine dining steakhouse chain in the U.S., with a national footprint, USDA Prime beef program, and a private events business. Comparable to Roots Steakhouse on core product (sizzling prime steaks) and target diner (affluent adults, business diners, celebrations), though at vastly greater scale.
• Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: Fleming's is a national upscale steakhouse concept owned by Bloomin' Brands, pairing USDA Prime steaks with a notable wine program. Comparable to Roots on the premium steak + wine positioning and weekday business-traveller customer mix.

Direct peers

• The Palm Steakhouse: The Palm is an iconic American steakhouse with a classic clubby atmosphere, caricature-lined walls, and a tradition of serving regulars. Directly comparable to Roots on the "old-fashioned New York style" classic chophouse positioning and loyal regular customer base.
• STK Steakhouse: STK is an upscale steakhouse brand with a more modern, lounge-forward atmosphere. Comparable to Roots on the premium steak product and affluent clientele, while differentiated by its contemporary vibe versus Roots' classic chophouse aesthetic.
• Ocean Prime (Cameron Mitchell Restaurants): Ocean Prime is a Cameron Mitchell Restaurants concept combining premium seafood and steak in a fine dining format. Notably, Roots Steakhouse operates a sub-brand called Roots Ocean Prime in Princeton and Darien, CT, creating a direct conceptual and naming overlap in the upscale seafood-and-steak category.

Others

• Harvest Restaurants (Parent Company Peer Concepts): Harvest Restaurants is the parent operating company of Roots Steakhouse and manages gift card operations and corporate branding across its portfolio. Useful peer for understanding the broader group strategy, shared back-office functions, and group-level brand management practices.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/rootssteakhouse
• Facebookfacebook.com/rootssteakhousemorristown
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roots-steak-house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Roots Steakhouse