The US Steakhouse Chains With The Highest And Lowest Overall Prices
Not all steakhouse chains are made equal — and especially when it comes to price, there are some huge differences between the menus at some of America's biggest and most notable steakhouse chains. Here, we're comparing the pricing at five of those chains, but with a few parameters to make sure it's a fair comparison. We've selected five of the biggest chains by sales volume to compare here: Texas Roadhouse, Outback Steakhouse, LongHorn Steakhouse, the Capital Grille, and the confusingly-named Ruth's Chris Steak House.
To make the comparison fair, we're comparing the prices from locations of these restaurants in the Denver, Colorado area, as prices can vary across the country for all sorts of factors from rent to transportation costs. (Denver is one of the few cities where all five of these chains have a presence.) To keep things orderly, we're not comparing the entire menu of each chain, as there are unique items on each. Instead, we're focusing on the items that make up a classic steakhouse meal: a side caesar salad, bone-in ribeye steak with mashed or baked potato side, and cheesecake dessert.
If you're ordering that classic menu, you can expect to pay more — a lot more — if you head to Capital Grille or Ruth's Chris. That four-item menu will cost $113 at Capital Grille or a hefty $125 at Ruth's Chris. The other three are almost half the price: $54.97 at Outback Steakhouse, $50.97 at Texas Roadhouse, and just $47.77 at LongHorn Steakhouse.
Breaking down the costs
As those prices suggest, these five steakhouse chains can be roughly divided into two price categories, the expensive (Ruth's Chris and Capital Grille) and the more-affordable others. At the two expensive chains, there's a particular price difference between the caesar salad and a potato side. Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris charge a whopping $14 or $15 for the salad and $13 to $15 for the potatoes. At the others, you won't need to pay for the potatoes, as a side is included with the steak (although the most you'd pay is $4.99 at Outback Steakhouse), and the salads stay under $5, except for slightly-pricier Outback, at $6.99.
There's also a price difference between the steaks, although it's not quite as large as the salads, which are close to triple the price at the expensive chains. Ruth's Chris' bone-in ribeye runs for $83, and Capital Grille's is $73, although this is tempered by the fact that these are larger steaks than the cheaper chains — 26 and 22 ounces, respectively. At the other chains, you'll pay in the $30 range for a steak. That's $35.99 for a 20-ouncer at Texas Roadhouse, with two sides, $37.99 for a smaller 18 ounces at Outback, also with two sides, or a cheaper $32.79 at Longhorn SteakHouse, which gets you 20 ounces of meat and one side.
Of course, price isn't everything
Finally, dessert prices are a bit more even between these five chains. You'll still pay more for a portion of cheesecake at Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris ($13 at each restaurant's Denver location). However, it's only a few dollars less at the others: $10.49 at Longhorn, and $9.99 at both Texas Roadhouse and Outback.
Bear in mind that even when ordering similar menu items, you're not going to get the same meal at all of these restaurants. As mentioned, portion sizes vary, with larger steaks at the more expensive places. But those more expensive places also tend to give you some extra bang for your buck elsewhere. For example, at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, the baked potato comes fully loaded with bacon, cheese, and sour cream, while at Texas Roadhouse, there's an extra charge for most toppings beyond butter or sour cream.
Then there's the quality of the product, especially the meat. At Ruth's Chris, you're paying for meat with the USDA's top grade, prime. The other steakhouses aren't clear about which grade of meat they're using, but as an example, it's been suggested that Outback Steakhouse uses meat that's from the choice category, one step lower, which could account for the lower price. This would line up with general reviews of these chains: Ruth's Chris and Capital Grille have tended to be considered more high-end establishments, providing both better products and service, compared to the other, more casual chains.