I don’t usually order food online. With the recent stay-at-home advisory and Amex sync offers, I decided to try out two online steak retailers for the first time.
Omaha Steaks or Kansas City Steaks?
I didn’t order in a way where I could compare apples with apples, but it was still enough to make up my mind in terms of which ones I like better.
For Omaha Steaks: I ordered the Omaha Steaks Burgers and the Top Sirloins.
For Kansas City Steaks: I decided to try out the gift pack of Filet Mignon and Kansas City Strip Steaks.
From a price point perspective, Kansas City Steaks offerings are slightly more expensive.
Cooler Packaging
The packaging is standard for both. Both came in a cooler packaging with a bag of dry ice in it.
When Omaha shipped out the item, I received the package in the next business day. The shipping time for Kansas City Steaks was longer. They shipped it on a Monday afternoon. It was delivered on a Thursday afternoon. 3 business days.
Unlike Omaha Steaks, the longer transit delivery for Kansas City steaks was a point of concern. I understand that dry ice can last for about 18-24 hours in a cooler, so I was concerned whether the dry ice would have melted by then. “Cool to the touch” is what is in the company’s FAQ, but I wasn’t how the steaks would fare. Fortunately, the dry ice had not completely melted by the time I took delivery.
Omaha Steaks cooler packaging.
Plenty of dry ice.
Kansas City Steaks cooler packaging.
The Steaks
6 oz KC Filet Mignon
10 oz KC strip steaks
6 oz top sirloins
A note about Omaha Steak “burgers”:
I also ordered the omaha steak burgers. For the record, it’s just the patties. I think Omaha Steaks should call them steak patties instead of “burgers”, since …the buns are not included.
Omaha steak burgers
Which is better?
I was concerned about Kansas City’s longer delivery time, but it ended up being OK. If I have to choose between the two in terms of value and quality, I would go with Kansas City Steaks. The Kansas City Strips wins.
This was something I thought I would try out, given the Amex sync offers (available for some through late June). At the end of the day, the best value is still the local supermarkets. While dine-in is not yet open at many places, ordering take-out at local restaurants is also a convenient option these days.
Have you order from either Omaha steaks or Kansas City Steaks? What have been your experiences?
Why would you review two different streak companies and not compare the same cuts of steak?
It’s a fair point, definitely, though I had mentioned in my post that I didn’t order in such a way that could compare apples with apples (different ‘package’ deals, best value for the bucks). It’s more about the experience of buying from these companies. The steaks themselves were decent and comparable for their cuts.
I truly appreciate your going into the process but wish you had gone into the quality of the meat itself. Tenderness, flavor, marbling, and anything else you may consider pertinent. Speed of delivery and packaging really are relevant but I’m more than idly curious how they tasted.
I thought about it but I didn’t for two reasons: 1. The quality is comparable for their cuts. The Filet Mignon is the most tender cut of the lot, but that’s also …to be expected. 2. I don’t tend to write about things I don’t know much about, and I’ll admit outright that I’m no steak connoisseur. I don’t pay attention to marbling and I do the most basic of seasoning, so… It would have been a very dull and uninformed section! For the record, the steaks were good (and I thought the Kansas City Strips was the best out… Read more »
I’ve always thought about ordering from either of these guys, but just can’t bring myself to do so. So, thanks for this!
I haven’t tried them yet, but I did recently “discover” a more compelling, albeit more expensive, mail-order beef option called Lone Mountain Wagyu. They claim they raise pure-bred Japanese cattle here in the US, so it’s something I’ve been contemplating.
https://www.lonemountainwagyu.com/collections/all-products
Out here in Hawaii, we’ve gotten a lot more local options thanks to COVID-19. So, I guess out of all this bad, we’re seeing some good.
I used to do Omaha steaks fairly often. I would mainly get the filet mignons when they had the right deals on. They’d have deals pretty often where they included the patties at no cost (usually a dozen). Sometimes free S&H with no minimum. If you didn’t buy for a bit you’d pretty quickly get specials offers made, There were several times I was not satisfied with the quality of the steaks (especially for what I was paying). Even though they’ll readily replace unsatisfactory items (100% satisfaction guarantee) i really didn’t like having to do that more than a few… Read more »
That’s a great reminder to readers to look for offers. Both companies offer tons of deals (they’ve been sending me offers since my first order). I had to unsubscribe from both, they are quite the marketing machines.
Even with the deals, I’d say prices are still higher than at the local markets. That’s to be expected for the convenience for having them delivered, but I thought I give them a try.
Glad to read that Omaha is pretty good at replacing unsatisfactory items, though. Thanks for your comment!