The Most Profitable Steakhouse Chain In America Isn't LongHorn Or Outback

Steakhouse chains have been an integral part of the American dining scene since the 19th century, and some of today's biggest chains only became more popular after the pandemic. With a deluge of customers often comes big money, as one leading steakhouse chain learned when its profits jumped nearly 15% in 2024.

That chain was Texas Roadhouse, and this financial windfall made the company not only America's most profitable chain steakhouse, but also America's most profitable chain restaurant overall. With 664 locations, 26 of which opened last year, the company's overall sales increased 14.7% for a total of $5.5 billion, according to data from Technomic (via Restaurant Business).

As further demonstration of Texas Roadhouse's dominance of the steakhouse chain scene, its industry competition was relatively far behind. Olive Garden and Chili's rounded out Technomic's top three for the biggest casual-dining chains, while LongHorn and Outback — T.R.'s closest steakhouse competition — finished sixth and seventh, respectively. With such a strong performance, we want to take a look at what makes this chain so successful.

Taste is subjective, of course, and this is especially true for steakhouse chains. Steak lovers have a lot to consider when comparing Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn, its closest competitor. While LongHorn has its own positives, Texas Roadhouse offers a wider variety of steaks and offers diners the unique opportunity to select their specific cut from a large cooler. It also doesn't hurt that Texas Roadhouse is generally more affordable.

For some, the casual, Lone Star styling of Texas Roadhouse may also be more appealing. Restaurant interiors feature Texas-themed signage, warm and well-worn leather upholstery, and plenty of wood paneling. True devotees of the chain can even use these fun decor ideas to give their home kitchen a Texas Roadhouse feel.

But if you're sitting down at the restaurant for a meal, you probably think that the steak itself is the most important part. In our ultimate ranking of Texas Roadhouse steaks, we found that the New York strip deserves a skip, but its bone-in ribeye is bursting with rich, succulent flavor.