Biz Buzz: High-end steak and seafood restaurant making its debut in eastern Idaho this month
Published at | Updated at
Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BRIEF
IDAHO FALLS
Montana-based steak and shrimp restaurant opening in Idaho Falls
IDAHO FALLS – Customers will soon have another dining option in downtown Idaho Falls.
The Rib & Chop House, which has been under construction since October, is opening on March 28 in the space next to Lucy’s Pizza at 320 Memorial Drive.
General Manager Chandra McCurdy and her team are busy preparing and putting on the finishing touches. She’s excited to unveil the restaurant’s first Idaho location.
“Idaho Falls really stuck out. It’s not too big, it’s not too small, and we really feel comfortable in this location. It’s something that the community can benefit from, and we’d like to incorporate into Idaho to grow and get our name a little bit bigger,” McCurdy tells EastIdahoNews.com.
The Rib & Chop House is a high-end steak and seafood restaurant that prides itself on serving certified Angus beef. The menu includes fish filets and sirloin steaks, New York strip, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, shrimp, salad and more. Seafood offerings are flown in twice a week, McCurdy says, and gumbo, jambalaya and other cajun offerings are available as well.
Dry-aged steaks are a popular option at one of the restaurant’s other locations and that’s something McCurdy is hoping to implement in Idaho Falls. Ribeye steak and cedar plank salmon, a filet of salmon broiled on a smoldering cedar plank and topped off with a Jamaican brown sugar glaze, are also popular.
The restaurant also includes a full bar and cocktail with a garage door that will open right onto the patio and Broadway Plaza during the summer months.
RELATED | Montana-based steak and shrimp restaurant coming to Idaho Falls
The Rib & Chop House was founded in 2001 by Burke and Melissa Moran and is based in Livingston, Montana. The duo is originally from Louisiana, where they were introduced to the restaurant industry.
“Their father had a restaurant down there, and that kind of brought them into the business,” McCurdy says. “They wanted to go somewhere else. They said, ‘Let’s raise the elevation and raise the steaks,’ and they moved to Montana and started a company.”
Kitchen Manager Courtney Wilson says the couple discovered Idaho Falls during a recent trip to eastern Idaho and “fell in love with the community.”
The Idaho Falls store is the company’s 12th location. The others are scattered throughout Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.
One of the things that’s appealing to McCurdy about the Idaho Falls store is its proximity to the river and the city’s iconic waterfall.
“There’s something magical about being in downtown Idaho Falls. It’s small, it’s quaint, but you still get that busy-body feel. It’s definitely an interesting little place,” she says.
McCurdy says they’re planning to open additional storefronts in Idaho and expand its footprint in the Gem State.
The Idaho Falls restaurant is decorated with photos of other well-known businesses and landmarks in town, and McCurdy is hoping people will feel right at home when stopping by.
The Rib & Chop House will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
IDAHO FALLS
He came to eastern Idaho in search of a new lifestyle and now owns a thriving excavation company
IDAHO FALLS – Joshua Dybka was high atop a San Diego skyrise when he knew his life needed to change.
It was April 2018, and the 40-year-old crane operator was making $250,000 a year. It was his 75th hour of work that week, and his wife sent him a text with a video of his daughter’s ballet recital.
“My heart broke in that moment,” Dybka tells EastIdahoNews.com. “I knew I’d be doing the same thing 10 years from now (having missed every little league game and ballet recital), and something inside of me snapped.”
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
Mountain America Center slated for completion in November and here’s a look inside
Idaho Falls Zoo opening next month and here’s what’s new
Debt collectors can now DM you and here’s what experts recommend
Proposed development project near Jefferson County Lake getting mixed reactions
If you have a Biz Buzz item you want to share, send it to rett@eastidahonews.com. Remember to use “Biz Buzz” in the subject line. Also, don't forget to sign up for the free Biz Buzz email newsletter.
Biz Buzz is brought to you by Idaho Central Credit Union, the premier credit union in Idaho. Its mission is "Helping members achieve financial success."