LongHorn Steakhouse is very popular right now: here’s why

If you want a decent steak dinner but don’t want to spend $50 (or more) just on the beef, you’ll feel right at home at a casual restaurant like LongHorn Steakhouse. Promising hearty portions of meat and potatoes at moderate prices, the Southwestern-themed chain has gradually become one of America’s favorite dining destinations, raking in billions of dollars in the process.

A juicy bone-in rib-eye at LongHorn will cost you about $30, less than half of what you’d pay for a comparable cut of beef from a fancier chain like Capital Grille or Ruth’s Chris Steak House. And that includes your choice of side and a salad. These accompaniments cost more in a more luxurious setting.

While business has been slow for many other restaurants, LongHorn and its casual-dining rival Texas Roadhouse have grown in popularity over the past three years as consumers seek a sense of affordable luxury when dining out .

I tried every steak at LongHorn Steakhouse and one juicy cut stood out

“This is the category that really took off after the pandemic,” says RJ Hottovy, head of analytics research for Placer.ai, which tracks consumer traffic patterns. “People want to go out. They don’t always have the financial means to do it right now, but when they do go out, they want to make the most of it. And, for some people, it’s a casual steakhouse. “.

According to data from Placer.ai, customer visits to LongHorn increased 9% in November, following similar peaks of 10.1% in March, 7.2% in May and 6.2% in June.

LongHorn’s parent company, Darden Restaurants, reported this week that the steakhouse chain’s sales jumped 7.5% to more than $710 million in the most recent quarter. This marks the 15th consecutive quarter of positive sales growth for LongHorn, a streak dating back to 2021. LongHorn generated more than $2.8 billion in total sales in fiscal 2024.

During an earnings conference call Thursday, Darden CEO Rick Cardenas attributed the chain’s success to continued efforts to improve the quality of its steaks.

“LongHorn has invested over the years, even before COVID, to improve the quality of their food, to improve the execution of that food,” Cardenas said, noting that the chain recently hosted a “steak cutters summit ” with beef suppliers from across the country to review the chain’s custom specifications. “The summit concluded with a vendor receiving a Golden Steak Award for best adherence to Longhorn Standards, and all partners left the event more aligned and better positioned to consistently deliver on brand expectations,” he said. he declared.

I tried the burger at Outback, LongHorn & Texas Roadhouse and one blew the others away

Cardenas further noted that LongHorn “validates the expertise of its grill masters each year,” regularly training cooks on how to properly season steaks and testing their accuracy to verify that each steak is grilled to the correct temperature. “This focus continues to pay off and resulted in a record score of correctly grilled steaks during the quarter,” he said, adding that cooks’ precision is “significantly different than it was ago only three or four years old. There is.”

Cardenas said, “We put more money on the plate than anyone else in our space, and customers notice that value and so are willing to come to our restaurants.”6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Chris Shott