How LongHorn Steakhouse is run
At the end of May 2026 Darden owned and operated 618 LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants in the US. Franchisees ran 21 more: 19 in the US, a count that includes Puerto Rico and Guam, and two in Asia. (Darden Restaurants annual report, fiscal 2026)
Darden expects each LongHorn it opens in fiscal 2027 to cost $3.8 million to $5.2 million for the building, equipment, furniture and other construction, on leased land and before opening costs. Its own LongHorns averaged $5.6 million in sales in fiscal 2026. (Darden Restaurants annual report, fiscal 2026)
Who owns LongHorn Steakhouse
LongHorn belongs to Darden Restaurants, which also owns Olive Garden. Darden is a public company; its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DRI. (Darden Restaurants annual report, fiscal 2026)
Franchises like LongHorn Steakhouse
If you want to own a steakhouse business, these franchise brands sell the closest thing to LongHorn Steakhouse, largest first.
| Brand | Cost to open | Fee | Royalty | Locations | Sales a location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outback SteakhouseFee $40K · Royalty 5% | $4.26M–$9.04M | $40K | 5% | 675−19 in 3 yrs | – |
| Texas RoadhouseFee $40K · Royalty 4% | $5.4M–$7.9M | $40K | 4% | 638+66 in 3 yrs | – |
| Golden CorralFee $50K · Royalty 4% · Sales $4.92M a location | $3.63M–$4.51M | $50K | 4% | 348−14 in 3 yrs | $4.92M |
| Ruth's Chris Steak HouseFee $125K · Royalty 5% | $2.5M–$6.41M | $125K | 5% | 138+6 in 3 yrs | – |
Locations are US locations, franchised and company-owned, at the end of the latest year filed. Sales are yearly, before costs, where the brand publishes them.
Outback Steakhouse is the largest, with 675 US locations, and Ruth's Chris Steak House costs least to open, from $2,502,000. Texas Roadhouse added the most locations, +66 over 3 years. Of the brands that publish sales, Golden Corral reports the most per location, $4.92M a year. The typical restaurant franchise starts at $408K to open; see where the money goes.
Sources
Questions
Which of these steakhouse franchises loses the fewest owners?
Ruth's Chris Steak House. None of its franchised locations closed, were terminated or weren't renewed over the years its latest filing covers, against 2.5% a year at Golden Corral. Buy-backs by the franchisor and sales to new owners don't count as exits. Failure rates by brand