U.S. Beef Debuts at Goodman Steakhouses in Moscow

Goodman opened its first steakhouse in Russia in 2004, at a time when U.S. beef was banned due to BSE. While U.S. beef has been back in the Russian market for several years now, it has finally made a long-awaited debut at Goodman. The well-known steakhouse chain recently introduced several high-end steak cuts at its 10 Moscow-area locations to a very receptive audience.

“Getting U.S. beef into Goodman in Moscow is a landmark moment,” said John Brook, USMEF regional director for Europe, Russia and the Middle East. “It’s absolutely the perfect venue for showcasing U.S. beef at the high end of the Russian market, which is exactly the sector we most want to capture. With two other steakhouses in London and two in Switzerland (one in Zurich and one opening soon in St. Moritz), Goodman now features U.S. beef in all of its outlets.”

With support from the Beef Checkoff Program and the USDA Market Access Program (MAP), USMEF joined with RP-com - one of Russia’s leading foodservice operators and the managing company for Goodman in Russia – in launching a two-month promotion of U.S. steak cuts, including New York strips, ribeyes and filet mignon.

To launch the promotion, Goodman invited its most devoted customers and other special guests to an elegant reception featuring Goodman chef Dmitry Lazko. He conducted a demonstration showcasing the unique attributes of U.S. beef and the outstanding quality it will deliver to the Goodman menu. By the end of the promotion, Goodman expects about 200,000 Muscovites and out-of-town guests to dine on U.S. beef at its Moscow locations.

Through October, U.S. beef exports (including variety meat) to Russia have already established a new annual value record this year of $222.3 million – up 66 percent from last year’s pace. Volume reached nearly 64,000 metric tons (about 141 million pounds) – up 29 percent from last year and approaching the annual volume record of 71,469 metric tons. (This record was set in 2002, when beef from all ages of cattle were eligible and beef exports to Russia were almost exclusively livers.) The United States has essentially filled its beef muscle cut tariff rate quota, which Russia increased from 21,700 metric tons in 2010 to 41,700 metric tons this year.