What to Know
- Lawry's Beef Bowl at Lawry's Prime Rib in Beverly Hills
- The dinners, which celebrate the student-athletes, coaches, and schools of the upcoming Rose Bowl teams, began in 1957
- The University of Michigan will visit the famous eatery on Dec. 28 and the University of Alabama will celebrate on Dec. 29
While it may be said, with total assuredness and utter confidence, that the Tournament of Roses and Pasadena go hand-in-hand, not every event related to the famous parade football game takes place in the Crown City, though most, most certainly, do.
Many of the flowery floats we see are carefully constructed in cities that neighbor Pasadena while Equestfest, a horsey happening that spotlights the parade's ponies, trots at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank.
And Lawry's Beef Bowl, a tantalizing tradition of the heartiest proportions?
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The "Lawry's" part of the name tells the tale: The dinners take place at Lawry's Prime Rib in Beverly Hills, the location for the pre-game feasts since they first began in 1957.
Now, almost every year since, with just one year off, the Rose Bowl teams have enjoyed a celebratory meal at the La Cienega Boulevard restaurant.
These events are not open to the public, but you can bet that pictures will likely be shared by the student-athletes, teams, and schools. For it is a day brimming with pomp — a red carpet is rolled out and balloons festoon the eatery's entryway — and prime rib.
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Lots of prime rib, of course — it's in the name — but the dinners also begin with a special ceremony that involves a spinning salad, another Lawry's hallmark.
The Lawry's team reveals that "... two players from each team will help with the opening dinner honors by spinning the famous Lawry's tableside salad and making the ceremonial first cut of prime rib."
The University of Michigan's Beef Bowl night is scheduled for Dec. 28, while the University of Alabama will dine on Dec. 29. Coaches and athletic directors are also invited to enjoy the celebrations.
"The Beef Bowl is an opportunity for us to celebrate the players and coaches and kick off the festivities of the Rose Bowl Game," said Ryan O'Melveny, CEO of Lawry's Restaurants Inc.
"It's a tradition that we look forward to every year as it has been passed down through my family for generations."
The Royal Court will also join both Beef Bowls as well as Tournament of Roses officials, another time-honored element of the decades-old dining event.
Photo: Barney Amor of Penn State at the Lawry's Beef Bowl in December 2022.
