Trump Steaks

Last updated
Trump Steaks
Trump Steaks.png
Donald Trump in a promotional image for the steaks
Product type Steaks, burgers, sausage
Owner Donald Trump
CountryUnited States
IntroducedMay 8, 2007
DiscontinuedJuly 2007 (The Sharper Image)
Registered as a trademark inAugust 2006
Tagline"The World's Greatest Steaks"
Website Official website (archive)

Trump Steaks was a brand of steak and other meats that was licensed by Donald Trump. [1] The brand was launched in May 2007 and was exclusively sold through The Sharper Image [2] and QVC. [3] [4] Due to poor sales and a failure to live up to sales and product expectations, The Sharper Image discontinued the Trump Steaks product line in July 2007, just two months after its launch.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Donald Trump registered "Trump Steaks" as a U.S. trademark in August 2006. [5] Trump Steaks were launched on May 8, 2007,[ citation needed ] exclusively through The Sharper Image's catalog, stores, and website as part of a three-month trial period. [6] Later that month, Trump and some contestants from his reality television series The Apprentice attended an event at a Rockefeller Plaza Sharper Image store to promote the steaks. [7]

The meat was supplied by Buckhead Beef, [8] an Atlanta-based company [9] and subsidiary of Sysco. [8] Buckhead Beef also supplied meat to many of Trump's hotel-casino properties. [6] Burgers and sausages were also sold under the Trump Steaks name. [10] The steaks were USDA Angus certified [8] and came in four packages with prices ranging from $199 (with two bone-in rib-eyes, two filet mignons and 12 burgers), [11] $349, $499, and $999, [12] with the tagline of "The World's Greatest Steaks." [6] A Trump Steak Gift Card was also sold at a cost of $1,037. [10] Trump Steaks was featured in a May 2007 Saturday Night Live episode that mocked the brand. [8] [13]

Trump was featured on the June 2007 issue of the Sharper Image magazine to promote Trump Steaks. [14] On June 5, 2007, Trump Steaks debuted on the QVC home shopping television channel, with Trump making an appearance on the network. [10] Trump Steaks (16) 6oz Certified Angus Beef Steakburgers were sold by QVC. [15]

Trump Steaks were sold at The Sharper Image for two months before being discontinued. [16] [17] According to Sharper Image CEO Jerry W. Levin, "The net of all that was we literally sold almost no steaks, if we sold $50,000 of steaks grand total, I'd be surprised." [18] Advertisements featuring Trump's photo attracted customers to buy other products at the store. [16] Trump Steaks were discontinued at QVC around the same time as the Sharper Image discontinuation. [8] The Trump Steaks trademark was canceled in December 2014 according to a trademark search through the United States Patent and Trademark Office. [5]

2007 reception

The New York Post conducted a blind taste test and compared Trump Steaks with mail-order porterhouses from Peter Luger Steak House and three New York City establishments. Trump Steaks earned a rating of 7.5 out of 10 (with the high cost of Trump Steaks noted), losing to $35/lb ($77/kg) mail-order porterhouses from Peter Luger with a rating of 9.5, but a higher rating than the Greenwich Village butcher and the Ottomanelli Brothers. [19] [20] Tad's Steaks, [lower-alpha 1] a cheap steak cafeteria, [22] received "This cow should be ashamed".[ citation needed ] The Associated Press and The Oklahoman wrote positive reviews of the steaks, but also noted the high price. [12] [23] The Palm Beach Post panelists best rated the Angus-certified and prime-graded bone-in rib-eye against choice-graded bone-in rib-eyes and prime-graded Publix, [11] giving the steaks an "A" and writing "Trump isn't kidding. Our panelists could barely believe how flavorful and tender the 16-ounce [450 g] bone-in rib-eye was." However, the high price of the steaks was also noted (the others were $9–$16/lb or $20–$35/kg). [11] Gourmet magazine opined, "these steaks are wholly mediocre". [24]

2016 U.S. presidential election

In August 2015, TIME magazine included Trump Steaks on a list of Trump business failures. [14] In December 2015, during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, a Super PAC supporting John Kasich produced an ad mocking Trump Steaks. [25] On February 10, 2016, the New York Daily News [26] included Trump Steaks on a list of Trump business failures. Steaks from West Palm Beach's Bush Brothers[ citation needed ] Provision Co. [27] were on display at Trump's Florida news conference celebrating his latest primary victories on March 8, 2016 during which Trump claimed them to be "Trump Steaks". [4] Trump-branded wine and water were also displayed, as an example of Trump's success in business. [28] Observers there noted the Trump-named steaks were produced by a butcher in West Palm Beach. [3] In March 2016, Vox noted that on QVC's website "reviews of Trump steaks were, um, mixed", [3] with more than half of the reviews negative (1 star to 2 stars). [29] In an interview with Anderson Cooper the following day, Trump said that he does not process the steaks but instead purchases them from local suppliers. [28] As of April 2016 the only place the steaks can still be purchased is at Trump's various properties. [16]

Notes

  1. Attributed to multiple references [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beef</span> Meat from cattle

Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle. Beef can be prepared in various ways; cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often ground or minced, as found in most hamburgers. Beef contains protein, iron, and vitamin B12. Along with other kinds of red meat, high consumption is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer and coronary heart disease, especially when processed. Beef has a high environmental impact, being a primary driver of deforestation with the highest greenhouse gas emissions of any agricultural product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamburger</span> Food consisting of a beef patty between rounded buns

A hamburger, also called a burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon or chilis with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beefsteak</span> Flat cut of beef

A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from 120 to 600 grams. Beef steaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole. Less tender cuts from the chuck or round are cooked with moist heat or are mechanically tenderized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quorn</span> Meat substitute based on mycoprotein

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheesesteak</span> Steak and cheese sandwich from Philadelphia

A cheesesteak is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular regional fast food, it has its roots in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steak-umm</span> American brand of frozen meat products

Steak-umm is a brand of thin-sliced frozen steaks manufactured by The Steak-Umm Company, LLC. Steak-umms are sold in supermarkets throughout the United States and are used for making homemade Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks. The company claims to be "the best-known sandwich steak brand in America" and to have "helped turn the regional 'Philly Cheese Steak' Sandwich into standard fare on America's dinner tables over four decades ago". The company also produces ready-to-cook hamburger patties that are available in "Original" and "Sweet Onion" varieties.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steak</span> Flat cut of meat

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References

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