House of Prime Rib After Joe Betz: Who Runs the San Francisco Restaurant and What Has Changed?

House of Prime Rib remains open under the leadership of Joe Betz’s sons, Michael and Steven, following the longtime owner’s death in 2025. The San Francisco restaurant still serves its familiar prime rib dinners from tableside carving carts. A San Francisco Chronicle critic who revisited it in 2026 found that the food and experience had changed little, though some dining details have shifted.

Betz bought House of Prime Rib in 1985 and became closely identified with the restaurant. His death raised an understandable question for regulars: Could a place built around his attention to service stay the same without him? For now, the answer appears to be largely yes—not because the family has introduced a new direction, but because it intends to preserve the old one.

Who runs House of Prime Rib now?

Michael and Steven Betz have taken over ownership and management. According to the Chronicle’s October 2026 account, Steven has worked at the restaurant for roughly three decades and remains closely involved in its daily operation. Michael represents the family publicly and has said he does not plan to franchise House of Prime Rib.

The brothers’ approach matters because consistency is central to the restaurant’s appeal. House of Prime Rib opened in 1949, decades before Joe Betz acquired it, and built its reputation on a focused dinner menu rather than frequent reinvention. A change in ownership could have meant a new format or expansion. Neither has been announced.

Has the House of Prime Rib menu changed?

The core meal has not. Diners choose among cuts including the smaller City Cut, the House of Prime Rib Cut, the thinly sliced English Cut and the generously portioned King Henry VIII Cut. The restaurant says its beef is aged for 21 days and carved to order at the table.

Prime rib dinners include a salad prepared tableside, a choice of mashed or baked potato, Yorkshire pudding, creamed spinach and horseradish sauce. The restaurant also lists a children’s prime rib dinner and a fresh-fish special. The limited selection is part of what makes a visit distinctive: the main decisions are the cut, how the beef is cooked and the accompanying potato.

That does not mean every detail is fixed forever. In its 2026 review, the Chronicle reported that a complimentary additional slice of prime rib was being offered only to diners who finished the King Henry VIII Cut. Anyone counting on a particular extra serving should ask the restaurant when ordering, rather than assume an older custom still applies.

How do you get a reservation?

House of Prime Rib takes reservations by phone at (415) 885-4605 or (415) 885-4606 and through OpenTable. Its listed address is 1906 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94109, between Washington and Jackson streets.

The restaurant lists dinner hours of 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Reservations can be difficult to secure, particularly at popular dinner times, so checking availability well ahead of a planned visit is sensible. A reservation, rather than an assumed walk-in opening, is the more reliable plan for a special occasion.

For returning diners, the main story is continuity: House of Prime Rib still offers the tableside carving and traditional accompaniments associated with its decades on Van Ness Avenue. For first-time visitors, the practical questions are simpler—choose a cut, confirm the current terms of any extras and book a table when one becomes available.