From Grill to Click: How Redlands Steakhouses Are Winning the Online Ordering Game
The sizzle of a perfectly seared ribeye. The aroma of mesquite smoke wafting through a dining room. The theatrical presentation of a tomahawk steak arriving tableside. For decades, these sensory experiences defined what made steakhouses special—moments that seemingly couldn’t be replicated beyond their four walls.
Yet in Redlands, California, a quiet revolution is unfolding. Local steakhouses aren’t just surviving in the digital age—they’re thriving by mastering something once thought impossible: translating the premium steakhouse experience into the online ordering realm.
The Steakhouse Dilemma Nobody Saw Coming
When dining habits shifted dramatically in recent years, most restaurant categories adapted quickly. Pizza joints already had delivery down. Casual eateries pivoted without missing a beat. But steakhouses? They faced a unique challenge.
How do you convince someone to order a $60 steak for delivery when half the appeal is the ambiance, the service, and watching your cut hit the flame? Industry skeptics predicted disaster. Redlands steakhouse owners saw opportunity.
Understanding What Actually Matters to Steak Lovers
The breakthrough came from a simple realization: customers weren’t ordering steakhouse meals despite the lack of ambiance—they were ordering them because they wanted that same quality at home. The challenge wasn’t convincing people to order; it was ensuring the experience matched expectations.
Redlands establishments started by obsessing over packaging. Vacuum-sealed proteins that retained heat and moisture. Vented containers that prevented sogginess. Temperature-controlled delivery bags that maintained precise heat levels. These weren’t just logistics decisions—they were brand protection strategies.
One local favorite implemented a system where steaks are seared to order but finished slightly under target temperature, allowing the resting period during delivery to bring them to perfection. The result? Steaks arriving at customers’ doors at ideal doneness, not overcooked and gray.
The Digital Storefront That Doesn’t Feel Digital
Visit the online ordering platform of a successful Redlands steakhouse and you’ll notice something interesting: it doesn’t feel like ordering from a generic app. These establishments invested in custom interfaces that mirror their in-house dining philosophy.
High-resolution photography showcases cuts of meat with the same care a sommelier shows a vintage wine list. Detailed descriptions educate customers on marbling, aging processes, and sourcing—turning an online menu into an educational experience. Temperature guides help customers order with confidence, reducing the anxiety that comes with spending premium dollars sight unseen.
Some have even incorporated video elements showing actual kitchen preparation, creating transparency that builds trust. When you can watch your filet being hand-cut before ordering it, the distance between restaurant and home shrinks considerably.
The Power of Customization Without Complication
One of the most successful strategies emerging from Redlands steakhouses is striking the balance between choice and simplicity. Online interfaces offer robust customization—choose your cut, select your temperature, pick your sides, add your sauce—but present these options in intuitive, streamlined ways.
Build-your-own-plate features let customers create restaurant-quality combinations without overwhelming them with endless options. Smart defaults guide first-time orderers while giving regulars the flexibility to experiment. Technology supports the experience instead of controlling it.
From Transaction to Relationship
Where many restaurants treat online ordering as purely transactional, Redlands steakhouses recognized it as relationship-building territory. Loyalty programs specifically designed for online orders reward frequency with perks that matter: complimentary aging upgrades, first access to specialty cuts, or exclusive online-only menu items.
Email campaigns don’t just push promotions—they educate. Monthly newsletters feature cooking tips for reheating steaks at home, wine pairing suggestions, and behind-the-scenes stories about ranchers and suppliers. The digital channel becomes an extension of the hospitality that made steakhouses special in the first place.
The Hybrid Experience Nobody Expected
Perhaps the most innovative development is the emergence of hybrid experiences. Some Redlands steakhouses now offer “semi-prepared” options designed specifically for online ordering: beautifully marinated, butcher-quality cuts ready for customers to grill themselves, accompanied by restaurant-prepared sides and detailed finishing instructions.
These offerings tap into something powerful—the desire to participate in the cooking ritual while still benefiting from professional sourcing and preparation. It’s not quite dining out, not quite cooking from scratch, but something entirely new that only makes sense in the online ordering context.
Technology as Invisible Infrastructure
The best technology disappears. Successful Redlands steakhouses invested heavily in backend systems—inventory management that prevents customers from ordering cuts that aren’t available, routing algorithms that ensure optimal delivery times, temperature monitoring throughout the supply chain—but keep these complexities invisible to customers.
One-click reordering, saved preferences, predictive text for special instructions: these conveniences accumulate into an experience that feels effortless. The technology works so seamlessly that customers focus entirely on their meal rather than the mechanism delivering it.
The Local Advantage in a Digital World
Redlands steakhouses also leveraged something chain competitors couldn’t easily replicate: authentic local connection. Online platforms highlight relationships with nearby ranchers, feature staff members by name, and showcase community involvement. This local authenticity translates powerfully in digital spaces where customers increasingly value knowing where their food comes from and who’s preparing it.
Geo-targeted promotions reward neighborhood loyalty. Local delivery zones are carefully defined to ensure quality rather than rashly expanded to chase growth. This restraint actually strengthens brand perception—customers know that if a steakhouse delivers to them, it’s because they can deliver properly, not just because the address falls within an arbitrary radius.
The Metrics That Actually Matter
While many restaurants chase vanity metrics like total orders or app downloads, the most sophisticated Redlands steakhouses focus on indicators that correlate with long-term success: repeat order rates, average order values compared to dine-in checks, customer lifetime value, and perhaps most importantly, the ratio of five-star reviews for delivery orders versus in-house dining.
These metrics reveal whether online ordering is cannibalizing the core business or expanding it. For the leaders in Redlands, the data consistently shows the latter—online customers often become dine-in customers and vice versa, with each channel reinforcing the other.
Lessons That Transcend Steakhouses
The Redlands steakhouse success story offers insights applicable far beyond the restaurant category. The fundamental lesson? Digital transformation doesn’t mean abandoning what made you successful originally—it means finding new ways to deliver those same core values through different channels.
Premium experiences can translate online when businesses obsess over the details that matter to customers rather than simply replicating competitors’ strategies. Authenticity and quality remain differentiators, perhaps even more so in digital spaces where they’re rarer.
The Road Ahead
As online ordering technology continues evolving, Redlands steakhouses aren’t resting on current success. Forward-thinking establishments are experimenting with augmented reality menu features that let customers virtually visualize different cuts, AI-powered recommendation engines that learn individual preferences over time, and subscription models for steak enthusiasts who want recurring deliveries of premium cuts.
The conversation has shifted from “Can steakhouses succeed with online ordering?” to “How can online ordering make the steakhouse experience even better?” That core shift separates digital change done to keep up from digital change that drives leadership.
The Takeaway
From Redlands to restaurants nationwide, the lesson is clear: the businesses winning the online ordering game aren’t the ones who begrudgingly add a “Order Now” button to their website. They’re the ones who reimagine their entire value proposition for digital channels while staying ruthlessly true to what made them special in the first place.
For steakhouses specifically, this means recognizing that customers aren’t looking for convenience alone—they’re seeking an experience. They want the quality, the expertise, and yes, even a bit of the theater that defines great steakhouse dining, just delivered in a new format that fits their lives.
The grill and the click aren’t opposites. In Redlands, they’ve become partners in delivering something customers didn’t even know they wanted: steakhouse excellence, wherever they happen to be.
About the Restaurant
Tartan of Redlands is a beloved hometown steakhouse known for its legendary Saturday Prime Rib, wide-ranging steak offerings, the famous Redlands Tartan Burger, and a well-appointed full bar. The restaurant has been a local landmark since April 15, 1964, when it was founded by three brothers—Velmer, Al, and Art Ctoteau—whose vision brought this enduring destination to life.
Larry Westin took over managing the restaurant and later became a partner alongside the Ctoteau brothers. Mr. and Mrs. Westin led the restaurant until his death in 2003, when stewardship passed to Larry Westin Jr.
He upheld the family tradition until 2015, when Tartan of Redlands was sold to its current owners, Jeff and Lisa Salamon.
Jeff is originally from Boston, Massachusetts, and proudly served in the United States Marine Corps. Despite changes in ownership over the years, the restaurant has preserved its timeless, old-school charm and continues to be known as the “Cheers” of Redlands—a place where familiar faces are always recognized and everyone feels at home.
