Trump Steaks

Trump Steaks is a discontinued brand of steak and other meats that was owned by Donald Trump. The brand was launched in 2007 and was exclusively sold through The Sharper Image[1] and QVC.[2][3] Trump Steaks failed to sell well through The Sharper Image, which discontinued sales of the product line after two months.[4]

Trump Steaks
Donald Trump in a promotional image for the steaks
Product typeSteaks, burgers, sausage
OwnerDonald Trump
CountryUnited States
IntroducedMay 8, 2007
DiscontinuedJuly 2007 (The Sharper Image)
Registered as a trademark inAugust 2006
Tagline"The World's Greatest Steaks"
WebsiteOfficial website (archive)

History

Donald Trump registered "Trump Steaks" as a U.S. trademark in August 2006.[5] Trump Steaks were launched on May 8, 2007,[6] exclusively through The Sharper Image's catalog, stores, and website as part of a three-month trial period.[7] 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.[8]

The meat was supplied by Buckhead Beef,[9] an Atlanta-based company[10] and subsidiary of Sysco.[9] Buckhead Beef also supplied meat to many of Trump's hotel-casino properties.[7] Burgers and sausages were also sold under the Trump Steaks name.[11] The steaks were USDA Angus certified[9] and came in four packages with prices ranging from $199 (with two bone-in rib-eyes, two filet mignons and 12 burgers),[12] $349, $499, and $999,[13] with the tagline of "The World's Greatest Steaks."[7][6] A Trump Steak Gift Card was also sold at a cost of $1,037.[11] Trump Steaks was featured in a May 2007 Saturday Night Live episode that mocked the brand.[9][14]

Trump was featured on the June 2007 issue of the Sharper Image magazine to promote Trump Steaks.[15] On June 5, 2007, Trump Steaks debuted on the QVC home shopping television channel, with Trump making an appearance on the network.[11] Trump Steaks (16) 6oz Certified Angus Beef Steakburgers were sold by QVC.[16]

Trump Steaks were sold at The Sharper Image for two months before being discontinued.[17][18] 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."[19] Advertisements featuring Trump's photo attracted customers to buy other products at the store.[17] Trump Steaks were discontinued at QVC around the same time as the Sharper Image discontinuation.[9] 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[6] 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),[6] losing to $35-a-pound 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.[20][21] Tad's Steaks,[22] a cheap steak cafeteria,[23] received "This cow should be ashamed".[6] The Associated Press and The Oklahoman wrote positive reviews of the steaks, but also noted the high price.[13][24] 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,[25] giving the steaks an "A" and writing "Trump isn't kidding. Our panelists could barely believe how flavorful and tender the 16-ounce bone-in rib-eye was." However, the high price of the steaks was also noted (the others were $9-$16 per pound).[25] Gourmet magazine opined, "these steaks are wholly mediocre".[26]

2016 U.S. presidential election

In August 2015, TIME magazine included Trump Steaks on a list of Trump business failures.[15] In December 2015, during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, a Super PAC supporting John Kasich produced an ad mocking Trump Steaks.[27] On February 10, 2016, the New York Daily News[28] included Trump Steaks on a list of Trump business failures. Steaks from West Palm Beach's Bush Brothers[29] Provision Co.[30] 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".[3] Trump-branded wine and water were also displayed, as an example of Trump's success in business.[31] Observers there noted the Trump-named steaks were produced by a butcher in West Palm Beach.[2] In March 2016, Vox noted that on QVC's website "reviews of Trump steaks were, um, mixed",[2] with more than half of the reviews negative (1 star to 2 stars).[32] 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.[31] As of April 2016 the only place the steaks can still be purchased is at Trump's various properties.[17]

See also

References
  1. Holodny, Elena (10 October 2014). "12 Donald Trump businesses that no longer exist". Yahoo Finance. Archived from the original on 2016-01-27. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  2. Nelson, Libby (9 March 2016). "Donald Trump spent election night pitching Trump products that you can't buy anymore". Vox. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  3. "Trump raises the steaks after broiling his rivals". politico.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-07. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  4. "THE TRUMP TOUCH". nypost.com. 14 June 2007. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  5. Siemaszko, Corky (10 March 2016). "The Trademark on Trump Steaks Was Canceled Two Years Ago, Records Show". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  6. Erikson, Chris (May 13, 2007). "High Steaks". New York Post. Archived from the original on 2017-12-19. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  7. Goldiner, Dave (May 4, 2007). "USDA prime ego!". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  8. Wharton, Rachel (May 18, 2007). "Steaks high for Trump". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  9. Carman, Tim (23 March 2016). "Trump Steaks are so rare, we can't even find one". Archived from the original on 2018-04-01. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  10. "Contact Us - Buckhead Beef Atlanta". buckheadbeef.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-13. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  11. O'Harran, Kristi (June 7, 2007). "$96 steak, Trump's newest plan to stay very rich". The Herald. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  12. "Trump Steaks: How does Donald Trump's latest cash cow compare?". palmbeachpost.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  13. Dowell, Sharon (11 July 2007). "Dinner with The Donald: 'World's Greatest' Trump Steaks definitely high in quality and high in price". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  14. "Trump Steaks - Saturday Night Live Season 32 Episode 19 Excerpt". Yahoo!. 12 May 2007. Archived from the original on 2018-10-14. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  15. Koffler, Jacob (7 August 2015). "Donald Trump's 16 Biggest Business Failures and Successes". Time. Archived from the original on 2015-09-01. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  16. "Trump Steaks (16) 6oz Certified Angus Beef Steakburgers - M15809 — QVC.com". 20 December 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2018.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. TIME Editors (2016-04-29). Donald Trump: The Rise of a Rule Breaker. Time Inc. Books. ISBN 9781683302377. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  18. "Trump Steaks @ Sharper Image". 12 December 2015. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2018.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  19. "A Definitive History Of Trump Steaks™". thinkprogress.org. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  20. Cardwell, Diane (20 December 2000). "Onofrio Ottomanelli, 83, Dies; Ran a Venerated Meat Market". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  21. "Ottoman(elli) Empire". Edible Manhattan. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  22. "Tad's Steaks Runs Times Square with a Fist of Broiled Fury". Columbia Daily Spectator. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  23. "Farewell to Tad's, Manhattan's Last Meat Honkytonk". eater.com. 2014-07-09. Archived from the original on 2018-05-13. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  24. Hirsch, J.M. (May 16, 2007). "Trump beefs up his empire by selling high-end steaks". Deseret News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  25. Passy, Charles (May 28, 2007). "Trump Steaks: How does Donald Trump's latest cash cow compare?". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  26. "2 Guys: Trumped: Food + Cooking : gourmet.com". 23 September 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2018.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. Gass, Nick (11 December 2015). "Kasich super PAC ad mocks Trump's steak business". Politico. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  28. Silverstein, Jason (February 10, 2016). "A brief history of Donald Trump's many, many business failures". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2017-10-08. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  29. "Those 'Trump steaks' weren't actually Trump's steaks". nypost.com. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  30. "When Trump Steaks at a Trump Event Aren't Really 'Trump Steaks'". 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-05-13. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  31. Campbell, Colin (10 March 2016). "Anderson Cooper grills Donald Trump about the 'Trump Steaks' piled up at Trump's press conference". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  32. "The reviews of Trump Steaks are hilariously bad". 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2018.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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