{"id":281984,"date":"2026-04-23T13:16:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/281984\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T13:16:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:16:15","slug":"the-grill-your-own-steakhouse-is-very-much-alive-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/281984\/","title":{"rendered":"The Grill-Your-Own Steakhouse Is Very Much Alive in California"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story originally appeared in the Eater SF newsletter<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It takes some digging to find something food-related that truly surprises me. Yet, I was surprised to learn about \u201ccook-your-own\u201d or \u201cgrill-your-own\u201d steakhouses \u2014 a genre that emerged during the midcentury, and continues to persist in some parts of the state of California.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s much like it sounds: Restaurants provide raw steak for diners to cook via a grill. We\u2019re talking USDA cuts, such as T-bones and sirloin, according to newspaper archives spanning the \u201970s and \u201980s. Sides typically included baked potato, salad, and garlic bread. And unlike Korean barbecue \u2014 which has its own history<\/a> dating back to the Goguryeo era from 37 BCE to 668 CE \u2014 these cook-your-own steakhouses typically featured a centralized grill where patrons saddled up to cook their steaks before bringing them back to the table for eating.<\/p>\n

The origins of this amusing operation were difficult to trace. At least one example, San Diego\u2019s long-running Turf Supper Club<\/a>, appears to have installed a grill around 1955<\/a>. However, advertisements began to pop up in archives around the \u201970s<\/a>, such as one in 1970 for Richmond restaurant Stanley\u2019s Steakhouse, located in \u201cEl Portal II-San Pablo.\u201d The ad copy is winkingly clever, with taglines that proclaim \u201ca delicious T-Bone steak cooked your favorite way\u201d or \u201cto your own perfection,\u201d a place where \u201cyour steak is always cooked just right.\u201d The prices were also astonishingly low, even with inflation accounted for. The aforementioned Stanley\u2019s quoted dinners starting at $1.95 ($16.60 in 2026 money); while a 1974 special at Fairview Steak House near Iowa City featured a 2-for-1 special where diners could buy one large sirloin steak dinner at $3.95 ($26.46 in today\u2019s money).<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a><\/p>\n

Archival grill-your-own restaurant ads liked to have fun with taglines. Masood Shah\/Eater\/Richmond Daily Independent, August 7, 1970\/Iowa City Press-Citizen, November 21, 1974<\/p>\n

If it seems like a confusing format, know that it also didn\u2019t sit well in 1985. An uncredited review in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune<\/a> of the three-story restaurant C.H. Ewing\u2019s Steakhouse & Lounge in Bradenton, Florida, seemed downright appalled at the notion of cooking your own steak:<\/p>\n

When ordering the entree, we found out about Ewing\u2019s innovative concept of cooking your own steak. A huge charcoal pit is in the center of the room where, after you have ordered your dinner, you may grill your own steak to the exact degree of doneness you desire. And, this is where my idea of dining out departs from C.H. Ewing\u2019s. As I watched the smoke curling up from this massive barbecue grill, I asked myself, \u2018Do I want to pay $11.95 to toil over a hot grill with smoke infiltrating my hair and clothes giving me the aroma of a Memorial Day cookout?\u2019 I mean, does anyone have to hesitate over that question? We opted to give the chef an extra dollar per order and let him adorn himself with smoke.<\/p>\n

Susan Lampert Smith of the Wisconsin State Journal<\/a> put it more succinctly: \u201cWhy would anyone pay good money to go to a restaurant where you have to grill your own food?\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite this attitude towards the cook-your-own steakhouse, there are still a smattering of restaurants that continue the tradition to this day. Trevor Easter co-owns just such an establishment in Sacramento called the Butterscotch Den<\/a>. It\u2019s a revamp of Arthur Henry\u2019s Supper Club in Oak Park, which was itself modeled after that aforementioned, still-running, cook-your-own steakhouse spot<\/a> in San Diego, Turf Supper Club.<\/p>\n

As a former San Diegan, Easter frequented the Turf Club, attending dinners, wedding receptions, and even funerals there. When Arthur Henry\u2019s went up for sale, the owner was hoping for someone to keep the grill concept going; Easter and his bar group, Irish Hospitality<\/a>, were game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Turf Club is a mecca for industry people,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s the hang; everyone in San Diego who works in the industry, they get off shifts, you see chefs coming in with their roll-up [of] knives with them, people are hanging out. I always loved that idea. So we thought, \u2018Let\u2019s take a stab at this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

The Butterscotch Den is Sacramento\u2019s ode to 1970s GYO steakhouses. Anna Wick<\/p>\n

The Butterscotch Den opened in 2022<\/a> with a \u201970s redesign, a playlist stuffed with funk and soul classics, and plenty of drinks, including a freezer martini. The meat \u2014 cuts like top sirloin, New York strip, and a 12-ounce rib-eye \u2014 is butchered in-house, and is never frozen. Butterscotch Den also serves a burger made with steak trim, vegetarian options like the portobello mushroom sandwich, plus a hot dog or sausage for cooking on the grill. To keep the vintage vibes going, there\u2019s also fondue for two, \u201cA throwback to sharing good times!\u201d the menu proclaims. The team also occasionally throws together a taco menu with marinated carne asada and veggies.<\/p>\n

Diners receive a set of clean cooking utensils with a selection of seasoning on hand \u2014 salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Old Bay, of course, but also a Montreal steak seasoning the team makes, with a vegan version also available. Sausage and burger accoutrements include ketchup, mustard, and relish, as well as the \u201cSnug Junior Sauce,\u201d a take on In-N-Out\u2019s burger spread.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re cleaning up after you, and you\u2019re going to spend 20 percent less.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diners are encouraged to ask the team for tips on how to grill \u2014 they \u201care so excited to show you how to do it and what to do,\u201d Easter says \u2014 and when asked about rules or faux pas, Easter was hard-pressed to think of any. \u201cMake a mess. That\u2019s the point,\u201d he says. \u201cThere should be seasoning all over the countertop. You should burn your buns because you were too busy talking to your friends, and we give you another set of buns. All those things should go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Easter acknowledges that a grill-your-own-food place is perhaps \u201can extrovert concept,\u201d saying the space has become a place for first dates to stand around the grill and cook, while getting to know each other. The hospitality industry is (in part) about providing human interaction, Easter says. \u201cAt a time when loneliness is at its peak, standing around a grill and starting a conversation with somebody or sharing a grilling tip is the icebreaker to feeling comfortable,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s like going to an arcade bar: There\u2019s another set of entertainment that forces you to engage with somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/a><\/p>\n

GYO steakhouses feel primed for the eatertainment era. Joe Matty<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a practical side to having diners cooking their own food: It\u2019s more affordable. Without having a cook making each item, Easter guesstimates he can bring down the price of a USDA Prime rib-eye from, say, $65 at a steakhouse to $43 at Butterscotch Den (that cut\u2019s current price). He also points to their burger, which is a half-pound, 80-20 burger that goes for $13, which could go for much higher elsewhere. \u201cIt allows you to trim some of the \u2014 for lack of a better term \u2014 fat off of the cost of food,\u201d he says. While the customers may be doing the cooking, Easter points out that the Butterscotch team is \u201cdoing the dishes and we\u2019re making drinks for you. We\u2019re cleaning up after you, and you\u2019re going to spend 20 percent less.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is closer to dinner and a show, but you\u2019re the main character.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Easter is smart enough to know that the grill-your-own-food restaurant is not for everyone. Although Butterscotch has hosted plenty of events and celebrations, he knows it exists in a \u201cnovelty space\u201d of restaurants. \u201cIt\u2019s entertainment,\u201d Easter says. \u201cIt is closer to dinner and a show, but you\u2019re the main character, and that\u2019s why our tagline is, \u2018Compliments to the chef\u2019 \u2014 that\u2019s you.\u201d<\/p>\n

So who is the grill-your-own steakhouse for? Easter would say everyone: older generations appreciate the setup and music being played, Gen Z loves the nostalgia and kitsch of it all, families bring kids who love to grill their own hot dog and play games on the free Pac-Man machine. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to have a really cool cocktail or do something esoteric or avant garde, but it\u2019s another thing to strike a nostalgia chord,\u201d Easter says. \u201cAnd that is why I proudly own this place and know that I don\u2019t make much money off of it, but it is my favorite thing to talk about because it\u2019s not a business \u2014 it\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Butterscotch Den<\/a>, 3406 Broadway, Sacramento<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/a><\/p>\n

GYO steakhouses keep the costs of your favorite cuts affordable, according to the Butterscotch Den\u2019s co-owner Trevor Easter. Anna Wick<\/p>\n

Where (Else) to Grill-Own-Steak in California<\/p>\n

1116 25th Street, San Diego<\/p>\n

The prototype for Arthur Henry\u2019s Supper Club (now the Butterscotch Den), Turf Supper Club opened in 1950 as Turf Club, initially serving just cocktails. Five years later, \u201ca gas line was plumbed into the dining room where a new grill had been installed for the use of patrons to cook their meat the way they wanted it \u2026 and so the following year the name settled on Turf Supper Club,\u201d according to the site\u2019s history page<\/a>. The most expensive steak here is the 16-ounce \u201cRibeye Delmonico,\u201d which goes for $36, and goes as low as $13 for an 8-ounce marinated pork loin chop or $9 for a portobello mushroom sandwich. (Sides are available for purchase, but, per the menu, \u201cAll steaks and kabobs offered come with a large slice of our house-prepared garlic bread.\u201d)<\/p>\n

9191 Deschutes Road, Palo Cedro<\/p>\n

Palo Cedro Inn opened in 1972, featuring both indoor and outdoor grills, and a full bar. Per the Record Searchlight<\/a>, the staff cooks the daily specials and will \u201calso grill your half-pound cheeseburger and other a la carte items until 4 p.m.\u201d Diners will grill their own steaks after that, such as cuts of top sirloin, New York, T-bone, and rib-eye, with the most expensive cut being a 6-ounce filet for $25; the restaurant also serves bourbon-glazed salmon and chicken, burgers, and hot dogs.<\/p>\n

2428 South Garfield Avenue, Monterey Park<\/p>\n

Opening in 1955, the Venice Room built its reputation not just on the grill-your-own steak concept, but also its impressively inexpensive lunch special that goes for $17 (steak only) or $24 (steak and sides and dessert). It was so impressive that Eater reporter Lucas Kwan Peterson visited the restaurant twice, writing an ode to the restaurant in 2015<\/a> and returning in 2016 to showcase the Venice Room in an in-depth video<\/a>. (Sure, it was $8.75 for the lunch special back then, but whomst among us hasn\u2019t changed in the last decade?) The restaurant also has a lively karaoke scene.<\/p>\n

Located in Golden Hill, this old-school favorite is the original DIY steakhouse for the 21+ crowd. Guests can choose from reasonably priced proteins such as top sirloin, pork loin chop, and skirt steak, along with kabobs \u2014 vegetable, beef, chicken, and more. All steak and kabob entrees are served with a slice of garlic bread. Don\u2019t be alarmed when the protein arrives raw to your table \u2014 head to the centrally located grill, stocked with condiments and utensils, and start grilling the steak at the communal cooking station.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This story originally appeared in the Eater SF newsletter. It takes some digging to find something food-related that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281985,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[23553,121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-281984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-dining-out-in-sf","9":"tag-sacramento","10":"tag-sacramento-headlines","11":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}