Steakhouse Menu Guide: Cuts, USDA Grades, Sides and How to Price Steak by the Ounce

A steakhouse menu sells beef by cut, grade and weight: four to six steaks in two or three sizes, a couple of large steaks for the table, sides and sauces priced separately, a short list of seafood and starters, and a red-heavy wine list. For an operator, the menu is mostly a pricing exercise, because one cut can carry most of the check and most of the food cost.

This guide is written for owners and chefs opening a steakhouse or adding a steak program to an existing restaurant, not for cooking steak at home. It compares real prices per ounce from two US steakhouses, turns USDA wholesale beef prices into a plate-cost example, and covers grades, aging, sides, the consumer advisory and a sample layout.

What is on a steakhouse menu?

A steakhouse menu is built around steaks listed with their weight, with everything else ordered separately: sides for the table, sauces and toppings as paid extras, seafood for guests who skip beef, and starters and desserts that rarely change. This à la carte format raises the check, because each guest builds a plate rather than ordering one.

The two menus we checked on October 3, 2026 show both models. Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in Chicago lists its steaks under “Prime Steaks” and sells every side separately, from a $13 baked potato to $17 asparagus. St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis does the opposite for its core steaks: each “Includes navy bean soup or tomato juice & choice of baked potato, fresh-cut fries, redskin mashed potatoes, or sautéed French green beans,” while premium sides such as lobster mac and cheese ($36) stay à la carte.

Neither model is wrong. Bundling a side makes the steak price look higher but the check simpler; pure à la carte makes the steak look cheaper and lets sides carry margin. Our à la carte vs prix fixe guide covers the trade-off in general terms.

Which steak cuts belong on the menu?

Most steakhouse menus rest on four cuts: ribeye, New York strip, filet mignon (tenderloin) and a sirloin, plus a bone-in or sharing cut such as a porterhouse, T-bone or tomahawk. Each cut differs in tenderness, fat and wholesale price, and those differences should show up in portion size and menu price.

Wholesale price is the anchor. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service publishes daily boxed beef prices by cut, coded with IMPS numbers (the industry’s standard cut specifications). The table uses the National Daily Boxed Beef Cutout report for October 2, 2026, Choice cuts, weighted average prices for delivery within 0 to 21 days. The per-pound and per-ounce columns are our calculation.

Cut (IMPS code, AMS description)	Character on the plate	Typical menu sizes	Wholesale, $/cwt	$/lb	$/oz
Ribeye, boneless, heavy (112A)	Rich, heavily marbled	14 to 18 oz	$1,585.79	$15.86	$0.991
Strip loin, boneless (180)	Firm, beefy, even cooking	12 to 19 oz	$962.50	$9.63	$0.602
Tenderloin, trimmed, heavy (189A)	Very tender, mild, lean	7 to 14 oz	$1,751.78	$17.52	$1.095
Top sirloin butt, boneless (184)	Lean, value cut	8 to 12 oz	$494.94	$4.95	$0.309

Two things stand out. Tenderloin costs more than three times as much per ounce as top sirloin, which is why filets come in small sizes and sirloins are the value line. And these are wholesale Choice prices before trimming; a Prime program pays more, and the same report does not list Prime cut prices.

What do USDA Prime, Choice and Select mean?

USDA quality grades rank beef mainly by marbling, the fat within the muscle. Prime has the most marbling, Choice is the next grade and still high quality, and Select is leaner. Steakhouses print “USDA Prime” on the menu because the grade is a recognized quality signal that justifies a higher price.

How rare is Prime? The USDA weekly steer and heifer grading report for the week ending December 21, 2024, the latest week published in that text format, shows the national split below. The percentages are a share of steers and heifers offered for USDA quality grading, not a share of all beef sold in the US, and they vary by region and week.

USDA grade	Share of graded steers and heifers (week ending 12/21/2024)	What it means for the menu
Prime	11.33%	Premium positioning, highest cost, usually named on the menu
Choice	72.31%	The workhorse grade; most steakhouse cuts outside a Prime program
Select	13.95%	Lean; rarely named on a steakhouse menu
Other	2.40%	Not used for steak programs

If you buy Prime for some cuts and Choice for others, say which is which. St. Elmo, for example, names “USDA Prime New York Strip” and “USDA Prime Ribeye” individually rather than claiming Prime across the menu.

How should steak sizes and prices per ounce work?

Steakhouse menus usually offer the expensive cuts in two or three sizes and charge less per ounce for the bigger steak. The small size sets an accessible entry price; the large size raises the check while giving the guest visible value. Sharing steaks of 26 to 48 ounces sit at the top as anchors.

The table shows real prices from both menus, checked on October 3, 2026. The price per ounce is our calculation from the listed weight and price.

Steakhouse	Steak	Size	Menu price	Price per oz
Gibsons, Chicago	Filet Mignon	7 oz	$60	$8.57
Gibsons, Chicago	Filet Mignon	10 oz	$68	$6.80
Gibsons, Chicago	Filet Mignon	14 oz	$79	$5.64
Gibsons, Chicago	New York Strip	13 oz	$71	$5.46
Gibsons, Chicago	New York Strip	19 oz	$88	$4.63
Gibsons, Chicago	Porterhouse	26 oz	$89	$3.42
Gibsons, Chicago	Big Porterhouse	48 oz	$176	$3.67
Gibsons, Chicago	Tomahawk	32 oz	$165	$5.16
St. Elmo, Indianapolis	Filet Mignon	8 oz	$57	$7.13
St. Elmo, Indianapolis	Filet Mignon	12 oz	$74	$6.17
St. Elmo, Indianapolis	Ribeye	14 oz	$56	$4.00
St. Elmo, Indianapolis	USDA Prime New York Strip	14 oz	$72	$5.14
St. Elmo, Indianapolis	Porterhouse	28 oz	$80	$2.86

The Gibsons filet shows the pattern most clearly: the price per ounce falls from $8.57 to $5.64 as the steak doubles in size. The tomahawk breaks it, because a bone-in showpiece carved at the table sells the experience as much as the beef. When you set your own ladder, decide the role of each size first (entry, standard, sharing, showpiece), then price it.

Dry-aged vs wet-aged: what changes on the menu?

Dry-aged beef rests uncovered in a controlled cooler for weeks, which concentrates flavor but costs weight and trim. Wet-aged beef ages in vacuum bags with little weight loss. On the menu, dry aging is a premium line: name the number of days, charge more per ounce, and expect lower yield from every loin.

The yield loss is measurable. A University of Nevada, Reno study led by Amilton de Mello found dry-aged loins lost up to 9.66 percent in yield at 42 days, while wet aging lost very little, and it reported that dry aging did not improve tenderness compared with wet aging. Separately, South Dakota State University Extension measured an average cooler shrink of 4.9 percent for whole carcass sides over 21 days, most of it in the first three days. Carcass shrink is not the same as dry-aging loss on a single loin, but both point the same way: aged beef sells fewer ounces per pound bought.

St. Elmo shows what the premium looks like on a real menu. Its regular 14 oz USDA Prime New York Strip is $72 ($5.14 an ounce), while its 12 oz USDA Prime New York Strip dry-aged 60 days is $77 ($6.42 an ounce), about 25 percent more per ounce by our calculation. Its 16 oz Prime ribeye aged 45 days is $98 and its 32 oz Prime tomahawk aged 60 days is $155.

Sides, sauces and toppings

Sides on a steakhouse menu are usually large, shareable and sold separately, which makes them one of the easiest ways to raise the check without adding beef cost. Potatoes, creamed spinach, mushrooms, asparagus and a premium side such as lobster mac and cheese cover most menus. Sauces and crusts work best as paid add-ons.

Gibsons prices its sides between $13 and $17: baked potato $13, French fries $15, mashed potatoes $16, creamed spinach $15, asparagus $17 and Brussels sprouts $17. St. Elmo sells extra sides from $9 (loaded baked potato) to $36 (lobster mac and cheese), and lists an “Enhance Your Steak” option at $5.

A practical side list for a new steakhouse:

• Potatoes (2 to 3): baked, mashed, fries or a gratin. Cheap to produce, high perceived value.
• Greens (2 to 3): creamed spinach, asparagus, green beans or Brussels sprouts.
• Mushrooms or onions (1 to 2): sautéed mushrooms, onion rings.
• One premium side: lobster mac and cheese or truffle fries, priced like a starter.
• Sauces and toppings (4 to 6): peppercorn, béarnaise, chimichurri, blue cheese crust, garlic butter, an oscar topping. Price each separately.

If you run an online or QR menu, sauces and doneness belong in modifiers rather than as separate dishes, so the guest picks “medium rare, béarnaise” in one step.

How do you price a steak from cost per ounce?

Price a steak from the cost of the sellable ounces, not from the invoice weight. Start with the wholesale price per ounce, divide by the yield after trimming (and aging, if you dry-age), multiply by the menu weight, then divide by your target food cost percentage. Round to a price that fits the size ladder.

The formula, written out:

menu price = (wholesale $ per oz ÷ yield) × menu weight in oz ÷ target food cost %

The example below is our calculation. It uses the Choice boneless ribeye price from the AMS report above ($0.991 per ounce), an assumed 15 percent trim loss, and, for the dry-aged version, the 9.66 percent yield loss from the University of Nevada study. The trim figure is an illustrative assumption, not a measured benchmark; use your own butcher’s yield tests.

Scenario (14 oz ribeye, Choice)	Raw cost of the portion	Price at 35% food cost	Price at 40% food cost
Wet-aged, 15% trim	$0.991 ÷ 0.85 × 14 = $16.32	$46.63	$40.80
Dry-aged 42 days, 9.66% loss plus 15% trim	$0.991 ÷ (0.9034 × 0.85) × 14 = $18.07	$51.63	$45.17
8 oz filet (tenderloin, 5% trim)	$1.095 ÷ 0.95 × 8 = $9.22	$26.35	$23.05

These numbers cover the beef only. Sides, sauces, labor and waste are not included, and a Prime program costs more than the Choice prices used here. Because beef is the most expensive input on the plate, steak lines tend to carry a higher food cost percentage than sides and starters, which is one reason sides, starters and wine matter so much to a steakhouse. For context, National Restaurant Association figures put median food and non-alcoholic beverage cost at about 32 percent of sales for full-service restaurants; our guide to pricing a restaurant menu explains the method and the source.

Retail beef prices show why the math needs updating. In the BLS average price series published on FRED, USDA Choice boneless sirloin averaged $14.357 per pound in August 2026, up 24.4 percent from $11.540 in August 2024 but only 0.3 percent above August 2025. Ground beef reached $6.923 per pound in August 2026, up 9.6 percent in a year. Steak prices have plateaued at a much higher level, so a menu priced in 2024 is probably under water today.

Do you need a consumer advisory for rare steak?

Yes, in most US jurisdictions. Under the FDA Food Code, a restaurant serving raw or undercooked animal foods, including steak cooked rare or medium rare, must tell guests through a disclosure that identifies those items and a reminder, typically an asterisk on the menu with a footnote about the risk.

Section 3-603.11 of the FDA Food Code gives the model reminder: “Consuming raw or undercooked MEATS, POULTRY, seafood, shellfish, or EGGS may increase your RISK of foodborne illness.” Gibsons prints almost exactly this sentence under its menu, adding “especially if you have medical conditions,” and St. Elmo uses the same core wording.

Two further rules from the Food Code matter to a steakhouse. Section 3-401.11© allows a raw or undercooked whole-muscle, intact beef steak to be served if it stays intact and is cooked on top and bottom to a surface temperature of 145°F (63°C) with a color change on all external surfaces. Non-intact beef, such as mechanically tenderized or injected steaks and ground beef, has stricter cooking requirements in the model code. The text quoted here comes from the 2022 edition; FDA now lists the 2026 Food Code as the current version, and each state or county decides which edition it adopts, so confirm the rule with your local health department.

Wine and the drinks list

A steakhouse wine list leans on red wines with structure, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah and Bordeaux-style blends, plus a few whites and sparkling wines for seafood and starters. Wine by the glass lets single diners and couples trade up, and large-format bottles suit sharing steaks.

Keep the list readable: group by style or grape rather than by country alone, mark a few pairings next to the big steaks, and price glasses so that the pours from one bottle cover more than the bottle price. Our bar menu guide covers drinks list structure, and the bistro menu guide shows the glass, carafe and bottle math with real numbers.

Sample steakhouse menu layout

A workable steakhouse menu fits on one page or one screen: six sections, 20 to 30 items, steaks in the middle with weights, sides and sauces right under the steaks, and the consumer advisory at the bottom. Use this skeleton and adjust the counts to your kitchen.

Section	Items	Notes
Starters	4 to 6	Shrimp cocktail, wedge or Caesar salad, crab cake, a soup
Steaks	5 to 8 lines	Filet in 2 to 3 sizes, strip, ribeye, a sirloin value cut; weight and grade on every line
For the table	1 to 2	Porterhouse or tomahawk, priced as a shared anchor
Seafood and other mains	2 to 4	Salmon, a chop, a chicken dish
Sides	6 to 10	Shareable, à la carte, one premium side
Sauces and toppings	4 to 6	Paid add-ons
Desserts	3 to 5	Cheesecake, chocolate cake, a seasonal option

Our menu engineering statistics explain which layout claims hold up in research and which do not, before you spend money on a redesign.

Running the steakhouse menu online

A steakhouse menu changes more than it looks: dry-aged cuts run out, beef prices move, and a prime rib may only be served after a certain hour. A digital menu lets you update prices and hide a cut the moment it sells out, without reprinting a heavy printed menu.

On Duckhub, doneness, sauces and sides work as dish modifiers, a dry-aged cut can be hidden from the menu as soon as the last one is sold, and a category can run on an availability schedule, for example a prime rib section shown only from 3 p.m. Guests can book a table from the menu, and booking and order notifications arrive in Telegram or WhatsApp. The free Egg plan covers 70 products and 10 categories, which fits a steak menu but not a long wine list; Duckling at $10 a month raises the limits to 2,000 products and adds online ordering and QR ordering to the table. Duckhub takes 0% commission on orders and does not process payments, so guests pay your staff as usual.