Rare Medium: Reinventing The Modern Steakhouse

Steakhouses are no longer just dimly lit rooms built around giant cuts of beef and old-school business dinners. Today’s diners want atmosphere, cocktails, hospitality, design, and experiences that feel social, elevated, and contemporary—and Chop Steakhouse & Bar is betting big on that evolution. Enter Christina Kuypers, the brand’s newly appointed president, whose background spans hospitality, entertainment, consulting, and brand strategy. As Chop enters its next phase of North American growth, Kuypers is helping redefine what a modern steakhouse can look and feel like today. We caught up with her to talk about leadership, scaling culture, premium dining trends, and the future of one of Canada’s most recognizable restaurant groups. —Noa Nichol

You’re stepping into Chop at a pivotal moment – how do you define the “modern steakhouse,” and where do you see the category heading next?

The modern steakhouse has evolved well beyond formality or tradition. To me, it’s really about how people want to feel when they gather.

At Chop, we see the modern steakhouse as a place that is social, flexible, and deeply welcoming. Guests are coming in for business lunches, celebrations, casual nights out, date nights, and everything in between, so the experience has to meet them in all of those moments.

That means flexibility across the entire experience: elevated food, great cocktails, zero-proof options, thoughtful service, and an atmosphere that feels both polished and comfortable. The category is becoming less formal and much more experience-driven. A great steak will always matter, of course, but the modern steakhouse is no longer defined only by the plate. It’s defined by hospitality, energy, and connection.

Chop has spent 20 years evolving beyond the traditional steakhouse model – what excites you most about building on that legacy?

What excites me most is that Chop already has such a strong foundation. Over the past 20 years, the brand has built loyal guests, consistent quality, and a clear identity, which is an incredible place to start.

The opportunity now is to continue evolving the experience while staying true to what people already love about Chop. There is a strong momentum in premium, experience-driven dining, and Chop is well-positioned to grow within that space because the brand already understands hospitality, quality, and consistency.

For me, the exciting part is finding that balance between evolution and trust. We can modernize the experience, expand into new markets, and continue to connect with new guests, while still protecting the culture and standards that have made Chop special for two decades.

Your background spans hospitality, entertainment, and consulting — how does that multi-industry experience shape your leadership style today?

My background across hospitality, entertainment, and consulting has shaped how I think about both people and performance.

Hospitality and entertainment taught me that the experience is everything. It is emotional, not transactional. Whether someone is coming to a restaurant, a live event, or a brand experience, they remember how they felt. That perspective has stayed with me throughout my career.

Consulting added structure, strategy, and adaptability, especially when it comes to scaling, solving complex challenges, and leading through change. Together, those experiences have given me a broader lens on brand, guest expectations, and team culture.

My leadership style is very people-first and collaborative. I care deeply about culture and teams, and I see that as the foundation that enables strong execution, consistency, and results. When people feel supported and aligned, the guest experience is stronger.

Dining today is as much about experience as it is about food – how is Chop designing spaces and moments that reflect how people actually want to gather now?

How people use restaurants has changed significantly. Restaurants are no longer just dining spaces; they are gathering spaces that flex with real life.

At Chop, we design for that reality. A Friday night might be a girls’ night out with cocktails and shareables. A Saturday might be a date night or anniversary dinner. Midweek, you might see business dinners, casual catch-ups over wine, or guests stopping in for something lighter.

We think about atmosphere, flow, comfort, and hospitality just as much as the food itself. Guests want experiences that feel elevated but still approachable. The goal is to create a space where people can settle in, connect, and feel genuinely taken care of. Food is central, but the overall feeling of the room is what turns a meal into an experience.

As you scale across North America, how do you maintain that sense of quality, consistency, and culture that makes a brand feel special?

Scaling successfully is about protecting what makes you special while you grow.

At Chop, culture starts with people: how we hire, train, support, and develop our teams. Strong operational systems matter, but they only work when teams feel empowered to deliver hospitality in a genuine way.

As we grow, the focus is consistency without rigidity. Guests should feel the same level of care, quality, and hospitality in every Chop location, while still experiencing the personality and energy of the local team.

Growth has to be intentional. It is about opening the right restaurants, in the right markets, in the right way. We want to scale the brand without diluting its identity, and that means staying disciplined about culture, standards, and the guest experience at every step.

There’s a growing appetite for premium dining experiences – what are today’s guests really looking for when they choose a steakhouse?

Premium dining today is no longer just about exclusivity or price point. It’s about how intentional the experience feels.

Guests are being more selective about where they choose to go out, so when they do, they want it to feel meaningful. They want quality and consistency, but they also want atmosphere, service, and a sense that the experience was worth their time and attention.

For a steakhouse, that means the food has to be excellent, but so does everything around it. The welcome, the pacing, the energy in the room, the way the team anticipates what a guest needs — all of that defines premium today.

At Chop, premium means thoughtful hospitality. It’s how guests are welcomed, how they are looked after throughout the experience, and how they feel when they leave.

Hospitality is often described as an “emotional” business – how do you ensure that connection remains at the heart of a growing brand?

Hospitality is emotional. It is fundamentally about how people feel when they’re with you.

As Chop grows, the challenge is making sure that never gets diluted. That starts with culture. If your teams feel valued, supported, and proud of where they work, that naturally shows up in how they show up for guests.

For us, that also means investing in career growth for our team members. Before we grow the brand, we focus on growing our people, because in restaurants, growth in the business should always create growth in careers.

Growth and connection are not mutually exclusive, but you have to be deliberate about protecting the human side of the business at every level. Great hospitality creates loyalty because it makes people feel seen, welcomed, and cared for. That has to remain at the heart of the brand, no matter how many locations we open.

You’re part of a wave of women stepping into senior leadership roles in the restaurant industry – what shifts are you seeing, and what still needs to change?

There has been meaningful progress in hospitality when it comes to women in leadership. More visibility at senior levels is making a difference, not only for representation, but also for how future leaders see what is possible.

Just as important is recognizing that leadership does not look one way. Many women are building strong careers while also raising families, and our industry can continue to better reflect and support that reality in how we create leadership pathways.

There is still work to do, especially in operational roles where many hospitality careers begin. We need to keep building inclusive pipelines and creating opportunities for people to grow into senior roles across the business.

Ultimately, the opportunity is to build leadership teams that reflect the full diversity of our people and our guests — across experience, background, perspective, and real life. Hospitality benefits when leadership is more representative of the communities it serves.

Looking ahead, what does success for Chop under your leadership actually look like – both for the brand and for the guest experience?

Success is simple to define, but not easy to deliver.

It’s guests consistently leaving Chop feeling taken care of and wanting to come back. It’s teams feeling proud of where they work and connected to something bigger than their individual role. And it’s continued growth without losing what makes Chop special in the first place.

For the guest experience, success means every visit feels thoughtful, welcoming, and memorable, whether someone is coming in for a milestone celebration, a business lunch, or a casual dinner.

For the brand, success means continuing to grow while maintaining our integrity, culture, and relevance. If those three things stay aligned — guest experience, team culture, and brand integrity — we are in a very strong place.

Be honest – what’s your go-to Chop order, and what does it say about you? 

It really depends on the moment, which is one of the things I love most about the Chop menu. It is incredibly versatile.

If I’m celebrating or hosting, I’ll usually start with our Birria Spring Rolls or the new Ahi Tuna Tartare. From there, I’ll go to a Bone-In Ribeye with our incredibly creamy mashed potatoes, the sauce trio, and a great bottle of wine. To me, that is classic Chop: elevated, generous, and perfect for sharing.

If it’s a lighter night, I’ll lean into dishes like the Ahi Tuna Tataki, Avocado Super Bowl, or Pistachio Crusted Cod. We have amazing seafood dishes that feel fresh and balanced.

I also really love our zero-proof original cocktails. The Berry Shrub and Sparkling Yuzu Limeade are incredibly craveable and such a great example of how we are expanding the experience beyond traditional bar offerings.

And of course, Steakmasters is our annual celebration of steak excellence. This year feels especially exciting with Wagyu Steak Bites creating a lot of energy with guests who already love our classic Steak Bites. The Wagyu has been so popular that we might have to bring it back.

So I suppose my order says I like balance: classic and elevated, but also open to what is new, fresh, and fun.