Steak beats pasta as Texas Roadhouse becomes top casual dining destination
There's a new king in the U.S. casual dining scene.
Texas Roadhouse has surpassed Olive Garden as the No. 1 casual dining destination based on systemwide sales, according to new data from Technomic on the 500 largest restaurant chains in America.
The Louisville, Kentucky-based steakhouse chain overtook Olive Garden, which had held the top spot since 2018.
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Texas Roadhouse sales surged 14.7% last year to $5.5 billion, while Olive Garden sales rose just 0.8% to $5.2 billion in 2024, according to Technomic.
Olive Garden has tried to lure more customers with its $6 take-home entrées and endless soup or salad and breadsticks.
The Orlando, Florida-based Italian restaurant chain, owned by parent company Darden Restaurants, opened 15 new restaurants in 2024, compared to 26 new locations for Texas Roadhouse, Restaurant Business reported.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Texas Roadhouse and Olive Garden for comment.
Steakhouses represented three of the top 10 casual dining restaurants on the list.
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LongHorn Steakhouse, which is also owned by Darden Restaurants, jumped Tampa, Florida-based Outback Steakhouse, according to the data.
Below is Technomic's list of the top 10 casual dining restaurants in America.