Lawry’s “Your Story” Contest Winner

Benny Godinez recounted his family’s first experience at Lawry’s and won a free prime rib dinner for eight from Lawry’s The Prime Rib.

The Godinez family shared the first Lawry's experience and the beginnings of a longtime family tradition.

IT WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to choose from the over 1,200 favorite Lawry’s memories submitted by our guests. A Prime Rib Dinner for Eight goes to Benny Godinez with his family.

We ate the prime rib dinner and were in heaven.

His story:

My first experience dining at Lawry’s was back in 1971. I was eight years old. The year prior, my father, mother, brother, and I were cruising through Beverly Hills, unheard of back then, especially in a low-rider, a 1954 Chevrolet four door lowered with craigers and pipes.

My family and I saw Cadillac’s with women wearing fur coats and men dressed in suits. My mom looked and said to my father, “Wow, you’d have to be rich to eat there.” My father replied, “Would you like to go there one day?” Mom replied, “We could never afford it.”

“Wow, you’d have to be rich to eat there.”

Well, one year later, my father purchased us some clothes for that night, and mind you, a tie was a must! We pulled in with our low-rider, the parking attendants smiled, opened our doors, and took off, sounding the pipes on the ‘54. We walked in, checked our coats, and were in awe.

My father told us to order whatever we wanted, mom looked as if we were going to have to wash dishes or run out. We ate the prime rib dinner and were in heaven.

Well, the check came and Pops laughed out loud. Mom was scared and said, “What, you can’t afford it?” Pops showed the bill and it was for a hundred and something.

My father laughed and replied, “I saved for one year, fifteen hundred dollars for tonight.” Ever since, we dine at Lawry’s at least once a year. I always say, “There’s prime rib and then there’s Lawry’s.”