Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Restaurant |
Genre | Steak house |
Founded | August 10, 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia |
Founder | George McKerrow, Jr. |
Headquarters | 1000 Darden Center Drive Orlando, Florida, U.S. 32837 |
Number of locations | 563 (September 2023) |
Area served | United States (including Puerto Rico and Guam) |
Key people | |
Products | Steaks, chicken, burgers, salads |
Parent | Darden Restaurants (2007–present) |
Website | longhornsteakhouse.com |
Footnotes /references [1] [2] [3] |
LongHorn Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain owned and operated by Darden Restaurants, headquartered in Orlando, Florida. [2] As of 2023, LongHorn Steakhouse generated more than $2.5 billion in sales in its 563 locations. [4]
LongHorn Steakhouse was founded in 1981 by George McKerrow Jr. and his best friend Brian. McKerrow was a former manager at Quinn's Mill Restaurant, a subsidiary of Victoria Station, a San Francisco-based concept with railroad cars used as dining areas that was popular in the United States during the 1970s and '80s.
The first location, originally called LongHorn Steaks Restaurant & Saloon, opened on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia on August 10, 1981. It was a former antique store, then an adult entertainment business. The walls were still painted black and some of the booths were divided by recycled black partitions. He filled it with steer heads and western paraphernalia. The LongHorn featured steaks grilled in a butter sauce.
It was across from a popular pub, Harrison's on Peachtree. Harrison's was the favorite hangout of Atlanta Journal and Constitution columnist Ron Hudspeth. Harrison's had a very limited bar menu, so regulars ventured over to the LongHorn for a steak after a night of drinking.[ citation needed ] In January 1982, a sudden snow storm that became known as SnowJam 82 trapped the area's commuter population within the city limits, and McKerrow offered $1 drinks and menu specials to the stranded motorists. Hudspeth featured it in his column. This helped to turn around the struggling restaurant. [5]
By 1990, the franchise expanded farther south. It has locations primarily throughout the Eastern United States. [2] It also has many locations in the Midwest, Southwest, and Puerto Rico.
In August 2007, LongHorn Steakhouse, formerly owned and operated by RARE Hospitality International Inc., was purchased by Darden Restaurants, Inc. [6]
LongHorn Steakhouse has a Western/Texan theme. Each restaurant is decorated with oil paintings, photos, and selected Western memorabilia that support this theme.[ citation needed ]
The restaurant is best known for serving various kinds of steak, including its "Flo's Filet". [7] In addition to steak, the menu also includes ribs, chicken, salmon, lobster, shrimp, and salads. Appetizers include their "Texas Tonion" and "Wild West Shrimp"; and side dishes are also served. The restaurant offers a full bar with draft and bottled beer, wine, and several signature margaritas.[ citation needed ] A lunch menu that includes soups, salads, sandwiches, and hamburgers is available. [2]
According to research conducted between May 2016 - May 2017, 37.5 percent of diners preferred their steak done medium, 25.8 percent medium-well, 22.5 percent medium-rare, 11.7 percent well done, and only 2.5 percent preferred their steak to be rare. [3]
A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from 120 to 600 grams. Beef steaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole. Less tender cuts from the chuck or round are cooked with moist heat or are mechanically tenderized.
A steakhouse, steak house, or chophouse refers to a restaurant that specializes in steaks and chops, found mainly in North America. Modern steakhouses may also carry other cuts of meat including poultry, roast prime rib, and veal, as well as fish and other seafood.
The Big Texan Steak Ranch is a steakhouse restaurant and motel located in Amarillo, Texas, United States, which opened on the previous U.S. Route 66 in the 4500 block of East Amarillo Boulevard in 1960. It relocated to its present location on Interstate 40 in 1970. Fire gutted the west wing of the restaurant in 1976 and destroyed $100,000 in antiques. The restaurant reopened as a larger facility in 1977. The building is painted a bright yellow, with blue trim. A large bull statue advertises their "free" 72 oz. steak. The now-closed Texas Tornado Museum resided off in a far corner of the parking lot on the property.
Olive Garden is an American casual dining restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. It is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in Orange County, Florida. As of 2022, Olive Garden restaurants accounted for $4.5 billion of the $9.63 billion revenue of its parent, Darden.
Red Lobster Hospitality, LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the United States and Canada, as well as in China, Ecuador, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates; as of June 23, 2020, the company had 719 locations worldwide. Golden Gate Capital was Red Lobster's parent company after it was acquired from Darden Restaurants on July 28, 2014. Seafood supplier Thai Union acquired a 25 percent stake in the company in 2016 for a reported $575 million and in 2020 purchased the remaining portion from GGC.
Darden Restaurants, Inc. is an American multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Darden has more than 1,800 restaurant locations and more than 175,000 employees, making it the world's largest full-service restaurant company. The company began as an extension of Red Lobster, founded by William Darden and initially backed by General Mills. Red Lobster was later sold in July 2014.
VitaNova Brands, based in San Antonio, Texas, was an operator of a number of American national buffet chain restaurants including subsidiary company Furr's.
Ruth's Chris Steak House is a chain of over 100 steakhouses across the United States, Canada and Mexico. On May 22, 2008, the company underwent rebranding and became part of Ruth's Hospitality Group after its acquisition of Mitchell's Fish Market. The group's headquarters are in Winter Park, Florida.
Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse are a chain of buffet/steakhouse restaurants that are a part of Homestyle Dining LLC based in Plano, Texas. Its menu includes steaks, seafood, and chicken entrées, all of which come with their buffet. A lunch menu is also served.
Sizzler USA Restaurants, Inc., doing business as Sizzler, is a United States–based restaurant chain with headquarters in Mission Viejo, California, with locations mainly in California, plus some in the nearby states of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, and Oregon, as well as Puerto Rico. It is known for steak, seafood, and salad bar items.
MR MIKES SteakhouseCasual is a casual dining chain which operates across Canada. The brand is owned by RAMMP Hospitality Brands Inc. with its headquarters in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Gallagher's Steakhouse is a steakhouse restaurant at 228 West 52nd Street in the Theater District in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in November 1927 by Helen Gallagher, a former Ziegfeld girl, and wife of Edward Gallagher (1873–1929), and Jack Solomon, a colorful gambler with a large loyal following from the sporting element. These were the days of Prohibition and Gallagher's was one of the first speakeasy gathering places for gamblers, sports figures, and stars of Broadway. There is now a location in the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Steak and Ale is an American chain of restaurants that was influential in the growth of casual dining. Founded in 1966, it achieved major success in the 1970s and 1980s before declaring Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding and closing its remaining 58 locations on July 29, 2008. The first new Steak and Ale restaurant since then opened on July 8, 2024, in Burnsville, Minnesota, with more planned for the Midwest and Texas.
The Capital Grille is an American restaurant chain of upscale steakhouses owned by Darden Restaurants. The brand has locations in twenty-five states, the District of Columbia, and Mexico City.
Charlie Brown's Fresh Grill is a regional American casual dining restaurant chain based in Washington Township, New Jersey. The remaining locations are located in Scotch Plains, New Jersey and Woodbury, New Jersey.
A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patties, such as hamburgers.
St. Elmo Steak House is a restaurant in the Wholesale District of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1902, it is the oldest steakhouse in Indianapolis. Its specialty shrimp cocktail has earned wide recognition in the American culinary scene. In 2020, it was among the 25 highest-grossing independent restaurants in the U.S. with annual sales exceeding $21 million.
The Hilltop Steak House was an American restaurant located on Route 1 in Saugus, Massachusetts. Founded in 1961 by Frank Giuffrida, it was one of the busiest restaurants in the United States during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The Hilltop closed in 2013.
Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse was a Canadian-themed U.S. casual dining restaurant chain, serving American cuisine, based in East Providence, Rhode Island. The restaurant first opened in October 1992 in Warwick, Rhode Island. Up until the mid 2010s, it was known for several novel animatronics based on the wildlife of Canada. Animatronics of bulls, buffaloes, or moose trophy head mounts would greet guests and provide entertainment. Other novelty characters such as Timber, The Talking Christmas Tree, would be programmed to tell customers about Canadian history and natural attractions.
Trabuco Oaks Steakhouse is a steakhouse located in the unincorporated community of Trabuco Canyon, California. The semi-casual restaurant serves steak and potatoes and liquor at its bar. Trabuco Oaks Steakhouse is famous for its no-tie policy; if a patron is wearing a tie at the restaurant, it is cut off and hung from the ceiling alongside many other ties.