This steakhouse unseated the Olive Garden as America’s top casual dining chain
A steakhouse chain has dethroned the Olive Garden as America’s number one dining location. Texas Roadhouse, a Louisville-born steakhouse chain that has been growing for years, has overtaken Olive Garden according to systemwide sales data from Technomic on the Top 500 largest restaurant chains in the U.S. Olive Garden, which has held the top position since 2018, recorded $5.2 billion in U.S. systemwide sales for 2024, a 0.8% increase compared to the previous year. The Italian chain opened 15 new restaurants, a 1.7% growth, bringing its total number of locations to 923 the Restaurant Business reported. Analysts suggest that inflationary pressures may have contributed to a decline in business from lower-income consumers for Olive Garden. In response, the restaurant reintroduced promotional offers, including never-ending pasta. However, the brand’s sales growth rate slowed compared to 2023, when it reported an 8.8% increase. Meanwhile, Texas Roadhouse experienced significant growth and galloped ahead of Olive Garden with a robust 14.7% surge, ringing in $5.5 billion, Restaurant Business wrote. The business has also been busy adding 26 new locations, totaling 664 spots. Factors cited for Texas Roadhouse’s performance include consumer demand for steak coming out of the pandemic, store development, and investment in staffing and operations while keeping prices lower than inflation, according to Restaurant Business. “Even though some Texas Roadhouse steaks rank worse than others, there is not a bad deal anywhere among them,” Daily Meal reported. “Even the cheapest, leanest cuts still pack plenty of flavor, reflecting the chain’s staying power among buyers on a budget.” The top 10 casual dining chains and their 2024 U.S. sales, according to Technomic, are: Texas Roadhouse: $5.5 billion Olive Garden: $5.1 billion Chili’s Grill & Bar: $4.6 billion Applebees’s: $4.1 billion Buffalo Wild Wings: $4 billion Longhorn Steakhouse: $3 billion Outback Steakhouse: $2.7 billion The Cheesecake Factory: $2.6 billion Red Lobster: $1.7 billion Red Robin: $1.5 billion