One of America’s most popular steakhouse chains, LongHorn Steakhouse now has over 500 restaurants worldwide. Millions of diners love it for steaks of all types at decent prices, as well as a menu of satisfying sides, entrees, sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts.
However, while steak connoisseurs may think they know all there is to know about those big horns, only LongHorn insiders really know what’s going on behind the scenes. From ways to chain to keep costs low to how to close a deal, read on for all the best insider tips and secrets.
Many restaurants have turned to delivery during the Covid-19 pandemic, to make up for lost foot traffic. But if you want your food delivered by the LongHorn steakhouse, you’re out of luck. Darden, the restaurant chain’s parent company, said on a late 2022 earnings call that despite customer demand for delivery, its decision not to offer it has been positive for the business. Darden brands, including Olive Garden, do not offer any form of small-scale delivery and are therefore not sensitive to fluctuations in delivery demand or the costs associated therewith.
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As demand for steak increased after the pandemic, LongHorn worked to increase the size of steaks to compete with other chains. The chain has invested in the quality of its food, including increasing the size of its steaks. “Consumers see value in what we put on the plate,” CEO Ricardo Cardenas said on a call with analysts in June last year, as CNN reported. “For every dollar they spend at a steakhouse, they get more food.”
Only 14 employees have earned the title of “Grill Master Legend”. To earn the illustrious title, a Grill Master must have grilled over one million steaks for the company. In 2022, Gayle Dudley, who has worked for the chain for more than 20 years, won the title plus a check for $5,000 and a special gold chef’s coat that comes with the honor.
For many years, the chain set up a hotline over Memorial Day weekend to kick off the summer. Fans could call a special hotline, text or ask a question on Facebook and be connected to a grill master who would help answer burning questions about cooking steaks. Hope he comes back this year!
After leaving LongHorn, founder George McKerrow teamed up with media mogul Ted Turner to launch Ted’s Montana Grill. At Ted’s, the focus is not on beef, but on bison, with an emphasis on sustainability. McKerrow admitted he finds it “ironic” that serving bison – a species that was once on the brink of extinction – has “actually increased the population many-fold, and we’ve done that sustainably”, according to Mashed.
If you join the Longhorn Steakhouse Email Club, you can get a free appetizer like steakhouse wings with the purchase of a meal the next time you go. You’ll also receive regular emails from the restaurant with other offers (like a free dessert on your birthday!).
If you thought you were getting a frozen piece of meat, you’d be wrong according to a LongHorn cook, who explained, “We actually don’t freeze our meat. Everything is kept in the refrigerator. It is cut by hand every morning and placed on a grid covered with film.” Why is this important? Frozen steak contains ice crystals which will make the steak less juicy when cooked.
That’s not good news, according to ClassAction.org, LongHorn Steakhouse has been accused of underpaying its tipped staff (i.e. waiters and bartenders) by making them perform tasks in outside of their job description – a job for which they should have received more pay, as they were not earning tips. A class action lawsuit is underway.
Many Longhorns are open for lunch and offer a fairly similar menu (but with smaller portions) at lower prices at lunchtime. If you’re on a budget and want a steakhouse treat, head over to lunch for great deals and shorter lines.
All of LongHorn’s nutritional information is available on its website and includes the carb count, making it easy for you to plan a low carb meal. Some ideas include chicken wings without blue cheese dressing, just about any of his fire-grilled steaks and a side salad (hold the croutons) or a veggie side with cheese. Yum!
A previous version of this article was originally published on July 9, 2022. It has been updated to include new information.
