America crowns new favorite restaurant chain as LongHorn Steakhouse dethroned by bitter rival

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

Texas Roadhouse has been named America's favorite restaurant — beating the likes of Chili's, Olive Garden and its big steakhouse rival.
It has beaten longtime rival LongHorn Steakhouse to claim the top spot on the closely watched American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) for sit-down restaurants.
The two steakhouses, which both scored 84 on the 2024 list, are now separated by a single point — with Texas Roadhouse notching 84 and LongHorn falling just behind at 83.
Olive Garden was third with 81, and Applebee's and Cracker were fourth with 80.
Outback Steakhouse, the third major US steakhouse chain, also cracked the top 10 despite a lower satisfaction score of 79, tied with Red Lobster. Chili's was eighth, along with IHOP and Red Robin, with 78.
Both Texas and LongHorn had a bumper 2024 as they benefited from inflation-weary Americans seeking out good value meals. They both offer a steak, potatoes and vegetables for $20 to $25.
Despite a rocky start to 2025 — including a sluggish 2.9 percent sales gain and weather-related closures — Texas Roadhouse, actually founded in Indiana, has maintained its value positioning in the face of inflation and tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
LongHorn experienced a 4.3% increase in customer traffic and operates over 500 restaurants worldwide
Texas Roadhouse, which was founded nearly 30 years ago, now operates 655 restaurants across the United States.
LongHorn, owned by Darden Restaurants, has grown into a global steakhouse empire with more than 500 locations worldwide since opening its first restaurant 44 years ago.
Their success comes as many competitors falter.
Both chains have overtaken Outback Steakhouse in sales
In terms of sales, both have overtaken Outback Steakhouse — a dramatic shift for a brand that once dominated the casual steakhouse scene, fueled by the late-1980s Australian craze sparked by Crocodile Dundee.
Sales have also fallen at Olive Garden, Starbucks, and TGI Friday's.
Last year, Olive Garden also lost its position as the top-grossing US restaurant brand — a spot it had held for seven consecutive years — to Texas Roadhouse.
The Italian-inspired chain — famous for its bottomless breadsticks and carb-heavy comfort food, also faced internal turmoil, including employee walkouts over new uniform policies.
Meanwhile, Applebee's has been in a prolonged period of contraction, shuttering roughly 300 restaurants between 2016 and 2023 amid rebranding efforts and broader financial challenges.
Texas Roadhouse is focusing on offering various low-priced entrees
Red Lobster, ranking number eight on the list, closed hundreds of restaurants last year after filing for bankruptcy and exited last September after being purchased by asset manager Fortress.
Chili's pulled off ' the best comeback of all time,' and landed in a three-way tie with IHOP and the struggling Red Robin chain.
Its next entries, The Cheesecake Factory and Buffalo Wild Wings have had slight dips in sales this year, but not big enough to put them at risk of bankruptcy.
Denny's concludes the list with a score of 75, which came after shuttering dozens of restaurants and implementing an egg surcharge.
The ACSI rankings, considered a key benchmark of consumer sentiment across major industries, are closely monitored by investors and analysts for signs of shifting brand loyalty and operational performance.