Irene Jiang / Business Insider
- Outback Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse are similarly branded restaurants, but Texas Roadhouse vastly outpaces Outback in customer loyalty.
- I went to the Outback Steakhouse in Manhattan and the Texas Roadhouse in Teterboro, NJ to see how the dining experiences compared.
- I ordered the same meal at each restaurant: a house salad, the chain’s most popular appetizer, a house margarita, and a bone-in ribeye steak with a loaded baked potato and a side of vegetables.
- While both restaurants had their strong points including service, the quality of Texas Roadhouse’s food and the overall cohesiveness of its dining experience made it the clear winner of this comparison.
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Texas Roadhouse and Outback Steakhouse are similar at first glance: they’re both American chain restaurants that serve steak and they were both founded thousands of miles from their namesakes. The Texas-themed Roadhouse was founded in Indiana. The Australian Outback-themed Steakhouse? Florida.
So as someone who prefers to cook my steaks at home with a cast-iron pan, I wasn’t really sure how the two were different. However, in a recent Market Force consumer survey ranking America’s favorite restaurants, Texas Roadhouse achieved an ascendant #2 while Outback trailed behind at #14.
Naturally, this difference piqued my curiosity — and my hunger.
With an open mind and an empty stomach, I journeyed to these two meccas of meat: the Outback Steakhouse in Manhattan and the Texas Roadhouse in Teterboro, New Jersey.
I ordered the same meal at each restaurant: a house salad, the chain’s most popular appetizer, a house margarita, and a bone-in ribeye steak, medium rare, with a loaded baked potato and a side of vegetables. I did not include prices in this comparison because I felt it would be unfair to compare New York prices against non-New York prices.
Here’s the chowdown breakdown:
On the outside, the Outback Steakhouse in Manhattan looks like it belongs squarely in Manhattan.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Inside, the restaurant tries very hard to remind you that it’s Australia-themed.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
There were pictures of the Australian Outback…
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
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- I tried the growing cult-favorite California chain that makes the ‘best burger in America’ — here’s the verdict
- We tried Hard Rock Cafe’s new 24-karat gold leaf burger, and we’re not convinced it’s better than a normal burger
SEE ALSO: I tried the signature burgers from 5 major fast-food chains, and the winner was obvious
Source: Business Insider – ijiang@businessinsider.com (Irene Jiang)