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)

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

History

Donald Trump registered "Trump Steaks" as a U.S. trademark in August 2006.[5] Trump Steaks were launched on May 8, 2007, 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". 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 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

References

  1. ↑ Williams, Aaron; Narayanswamy, Anu (25 January 2017). "How Trump has made millions by selling his name: Exploring President Trump's licensing and management agreements around the world". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. 1 2 3 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.
  4. 1 2 "Trump raises the steaks after broiling his rivals". politico.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-07. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 Goldiner, Dave (May 4, 2007). "USDA prime ego!". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 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.
  9. ↑ "Contact Us – Buckhead Beef Atlanta". buckheadbeef.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-13. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 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.
  11. 1 2 3 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.
  12. 1 2 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.
  13. ↑ "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.
  14. 1 2 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.
  15. ↑ "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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. 1 2 3 TIME Editors (2016-04-29). Donald Trump: The Rise of a Rule Breaker. Time Inc. Books. ISBN 978-1-68330-237-7. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  17. ↑ "Trump Steaks @ Sharper Image". 12 December 2015. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ↑ "A Definitive History Of Trump Steaks™". thinkprogress.org. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ "Ottoman(elli) Empire". Edible Manhattan. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  21. ↑ Eriksmoen, Curt (September 17, 2005). "'Grandfather of fast food' had roots in North Dakota". Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "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.
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ "2 Guys: Trumped: Food + Cooking : gourmet.com". 23 September 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ 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.
  27. ↑ "When Trump Steaks at a Trump Event Aren't Really 'Trump Steaks'". Bloomberg.com. 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-05-13. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  28. 1 2 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.
  29. ↑ "The reviews of Trump Steaks are hilariously bad". 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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