Is Alexander's Steakhouse fine dining? The company president weighs in

Is Alexander’s Steakhouse fine dining?

Yes, according to readers who voted during the 2023 Official Community’s Choice Awards.

The four-decade Peoria restaurant earned the top spot in three dining categories: fine dining, salad bar and steakhouse. Other finalists in fine dining included Connected and The Fish House.  

When the Journal Star announced fine dining results on Facebook, the Peoria community had plenty of thoughts on the matter. The post garnered scores of comments – with many people listing their favorite places to dine and others questioning whether Alexander’s should be included as fine dining.

A couple of factors may contribute to people defining the restaurant as fine dining, according to Ron Helms. He is the president of Mercedes Restaurants, Inc., which owns and operates Alexander’s Steakhouse.

For one, Helms said the community may consider the cost of dining. He said the average customer will spend around $40 on a meal.

Moreover, Helms believes the quality of the food stands out to guests. Many of the salad dressings and salad bar items are made in-house, he said, and steaks are freshly cut each day. While Helms said the majority of meals are prepared by chefs at the restaurant, customers also have the opportunity to cook their own steaks.

"For (the Peoria area) to consider us fine dining, that's a huge compliment," he said.

But does Helms view the longtime restaurant as a fine dining establishment?

Not really.

He instead described Alexander’s Steakhouse as “upper-scale casual.”

For Helms, restaurants such as Jim’s Steak House, Connected and Hearth come to mind when he thinks about fine dining. The establishments “provide a little bit more class,” he said – with their white or black tablecloths and upscale atmosphere.

“We've got vinyl tablecloths and paper napkins,” Helms said, "but quality of dinner wise − what we do compared to them − I think we rate right in there, and obviously the readers think so, too. So, we're blessed. We're blessed that people consider us as highly as they do. We don't take that for granted."

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