Longhorn Steakhouse is part of the casual dining resurgence, and a visit to the chain shows why
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Mary MeisenzahlJan 16, 2022, 18:41 IST
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Longhorn Steakhouse and its parent company Darden Restaurants have seen booming sales recently.
I visited a location in Rochester, New York, to see why it's so successful.
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Business is booming at Longhorn Steakhouse, a beneficiary of casual dining bouncing back. I visited the restaurant chain to see why it's seeing such huge success right now.
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Before even walking inside, I noticed a row of about six or seven parking spots dedicated to customers picking up to-go orders, which have been a major area of growth since 2020.
The parking lot was packed, but I was able to walk in and be seated right away.
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Immediately inside was the pickup area for takeout orders, more evidence that they've becoming important to the bottom lines of restaurant chains.
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The entryway was built to accommodate a large number of waiting customers in wood-paneled seats and benches.
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The front of the restaurant has a sports bar feel to it, with TVs playing sports and high-top tables.
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A Texas Longhorn head, horns and all, was mounted right above the bar in an extremely on-brand decor choice.
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It didn't take me long to realize that this chain takes the theme extremely seriously, from these framed belt buckles...
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...to some kind of harnesses mounted on the wall above our table...
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...to even more uses of horns, in this case adorning a mirror.
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Even the chandeliers look like they're made of some kind of antlers.
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The hostess sat us at a corner table, right beneath a painting of yet another longhorn.
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With my fiance Joe for scale, this is how the harnesses, wood paneling, and cow paintings all came together to create the vibe.
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We were seated in the dining room area, which looked much more formal than the tables around the bar, almost to the point of looking like a different restaurant.
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The dining room interior felt cozy, with dark woods and warm lighting.
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Every piece of decor hammered home the theme, with cowboy accessories and images alongside pretty pastoral paintings.
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The ceilings have dark wood beams, almost reminiscent of a farm.
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Most of the menu consists of different steaks, just as you'd expect. Of course that was the section my eyes went to first.
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Cooking steaks that make customers happy is key to a place like Longhorn, so the menu has specific descriptions of ways to order to make sure there are no misunderstandings.
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We started with the Texas Tonion appetizer, which our server described as "like a Bloomin' Onion."
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They were fried onion slices with a slightly zesty dipping sauce.
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They were hot and crunchy and salty. In other words, they were perfect.
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We finished the whole dish, which was clearly meant for a larger group than the two of us.
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Next, the waitress brought us a loaf of bread and a little dish of butter.
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It was good, but nothing special. After all the onion, I didn't want to fill up on bread.
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We also ordered an Old Fashioned to sip on alongside the steak.
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Each entree came with two sides, and I chose a Caesar salad. I enjoyed it, but it was possibly the most heavily dressed salad I've ever had, and could've used a slightly lighter hand.
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Next came our entrees. I got a sirloin and grilled shrimp over rice, with loaded mashed potatoes as my other side.
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The mashed potatoes were excellent, with a smooth whipped texture topped with bacon, green onions, cheese, and a garlic butter.
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The shrimp was also delicious, grilled and covered in tomato butter.
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My steak was exactly medium rare, just as I'd ordered. I'm not the biggest steak eater, but I enjoyed it.
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Joe bravely took on the biggest steak on the menu, the 22-ounce porterhouse for $30.
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He's a much bigger steak fan than me, so his expertise was required to really judge this steakhouse.
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He said it was perfect, and we happily brought home leftovers.
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He got Brussels sprouts for one of his sides, which were nice and crispy. They were a a good break from the other salty, heavy dishes.
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He also ordered mac and cheese, which had a delicious topping of breadcrumbs baked on.
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The cheese pull shows just how decadent and loaded it was.
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For two steak entrees, a drink, and an appetizer, our check came to about $100 with tip.
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I wasn't sure what to expect from Longhorn Steakhouse, but it definitely blew me away.
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I'd worried that steaks would be the main focus, to the detriment of other dishes, but the opposite was actually true.
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In the midst of yet another pandemic winter, I completely get the appeal of a cozy, familiar restaurant where you can get hearty, comforting food.
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