I got your beef right here!

Ruth’s Chris Steak House has completed their review — and your winner is… Merkley + Partners. They have been hired as RCSH’s lead agency following a search led by consultancy Pile and Co. out of Boston.

Now it seems not to really be a massive account — only about $5.5 million in measured media in each of the last two years — but it apparently holds promise:

“Founded in New Orleans by Ruth Fertel in 1965, Ruth’s Chris now has almost 120 locations.

“Merkley demonstrated themselves to be a great partner for us and we look forward to working with them to meet our aggressive branding and performance goals,” said Jill Ramsier, vp, marketing at Ruth’s Chris.

The bulk of the company’s restaurants are located in the U.S., though Ruth’s Chris also operates in Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.

“We are excited about the opportunity to help them extend their brand recognition and grow their business,” said Alex Gellert, CEO of Merkley.

Omnicom Group-owned Merkley in New York adds media planning and buying, as well as creative chores and related services. The shop’s other clients include Arby’s, Axa Equitable, Ferrero Rocher, Mercedes-Benz, Novartis and Schering-Plough, among others.”

If nothing else, they should all eat well at the end of the day…