Longhorn Vs. Texas Roadhouse: I See Why the Younger Brand Is More Popular

It's no secret that Americans love steak.

Look no further than the booming growth of national chains like LongHorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse, which have both seen substantial gains in new locations and sales in the past year, boosting the share prices of their respective parent companies.

Although neither brand has actual origins in the Lone Star state — LongHorn was founded in Georgia in 1981 and Texas Roadhouse in Indiana in 1994 — both have adopted Texas-inspired identities and a mission to serve the best meat.

To put the two porterhouse powerhouses to the test, I visited both chains to see how each handles the ultimate steak lover's cut, the bone-in rib eye.

This prime cut is one that every grill master worth their seasoning salt takes great care and pride in getting right, making it a sure measure of a kitchen's talent. Of course, that's only one (obviously important) piece of the puzzle in the restaurant business.

This location is open for lunch on weekdays, unlike the newly opened Texas Roadhouse nearby.

My server took my order and quickly brought me ice-cold sweet tea and bread to snack on.

I had to resist stuffing myself with the bread, which was a warm, fresh multigrain loaf served with whipped butter.

Darden Restaurants, which also owns Olive Garden, opened 16 LongHorn locations in the past year.

The styling feels a bit dated compared with recent refreshes at other brands, but other diners seemed comfortable with the consistency.

The blade was a bit cumbersome for spreading butter, but it definitely got me in the mood for meat.

I had intended to get fries on the side for a better comparison and to keep the focus on the steak, but this corn simply looked too good to pass up.

The pink was more on the "medium" side of "medium rare," but still within the range of what I'd expect from a major chain.

Dubbed the "Outlaw Ribeye," this steak packs a whopping 1,250 calories (790 from fat), per LongHorn's nutrition guide. The LongHorn 22-ounce LongHorn porterhouse is slightly larger but leaner.

Turning the bone over, I noticed it was cut to reveal the marrow, which helps transfer some flavor to the meat.

Other sides that caught my eye included the crispy Brussels sprouts, steakhouse mac and cheese, and fried okra. I'll have to go back for those.

The steak cost $29.29, plus the tea and a markup for the corn, for a total of $35.47 before tax and tip.

This location is one of seven new ones to open this year, bringing the total to 620, with several more on the way.

The average Texas Roadhouse location does roughly $150,000 in weekly revenue, significantly higher than LongHorn's $91,000 average.

I didn't see a rib eye on display, but the offerings looked tempting.

Each table had an electronic mini kiosk for ordering, paying, and even playing video games.

The layout was centered around a U-shaped bar, with plenty of TVs showing sports, as well as one playing music videos of the country hits booming over the speakers.

The rolls were also sweeter and less flavorful than LongHorn's loaf, and the steak knife was disappointingly basic, too, but I digress.

I went with corn to try to match the LongHorn meal, but unfortunately, it was not served on the cob. The green beans were generously flecked with pieces of bacon.

Rib eyes get most of their flavor from the marbling of fat, but that can cause the steak to have more gristly bits than some diners like.

I interpreted the rareness as a sign the chef was averse to overcooking a steak.

The seasoning was also a bit salty for my taste, and the sides were somewhat bland.

The manager later told me the saltiness of the seasoning is a common critique, but it's one of the only food items that is delivered as is, rather than made from scratch in-house. He also said meat prices have been going up, but he's doing his best not to pass that on to customers all at once.

Plus, I'd bet the seasoning pairs nicely with one of the restaurant's signature margaritas.

LongHorn's seasoning allowed more of the meat and fire flavors to take center stage, plus the sides were more interesting.

Seriously, just look at that thing.

The difference between the rib eyes wasn't dramatic, and the prices were comparable. The Texas Roadhouse steak cost $28.99 with two sides — $0.30 less than Longhorn — and the tea was $2.99 for a total of $31.98 before tax and tip. Beyond price, Texas Roadhouse felt more lively and welcoming, with a wider variety of menu options to try for different diners.

For the most recent quarter, Texas Roadhouse saw same-store sales increase by 9.1%, compared with LongHorn's very respectable 7.1%.

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