AUSTIN, Texas — The owner of a restaurant in Albany, New York, is suing the state of Texas over a proposal to rename a popular cut of beef.
The restaurant owner is seeking $1 million in damages after Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick suggested renaming the New York Strip steak as the Texas Strip. The lawsuit argues that the proposed rebranding threatens New York’s culinary legacy.
A few weeks ago, we reported on Patrick’s proposal. The Texas lieutenant governor called for restaurants to change the name of the steak the next time they update their menus, and for grocery stores to update their product labels.
Patrick first presented the idea to the Texas Cattle Feeders and Cattle Raisers Association last month.
“Out of curiosity, I asked each of them their favorite cut of meat,” Patrick posted on X (formerly Twitter) on February 28. “A few said New York Strip. I asked why we didn’t call it a ‘Texas Strip,’ because New York has mostly dairy cows. Just because a New York restaurant named Texas beef a New York Strip in the 19th century doesn’t mean we need to keep doing that.”
Patrick’s post also mentioned that the Texas Senate plans to introduce a resolution to officially adopt the name change.
“In a world filled with serious issues that we address every day at the Texas Capitol, this simple resolution will help better market Texas beef,” Patrick wrote. “That’s good for the Texas cattle industry. The Cattle Associations sure liked the idea.”
