After a prolonged lull for dine-in restaurants, which steakhouses are most primed to steer
their way back to prominence?
Get your knife and fork ready and keep watching.
These steakhouses are about to be everywhere.
Texas Roadhouse already has 600 restaurants in the United States and beyond.
But there are more expansions on the horizon, so you can definitely expect to see new locations
in the future.
The chain has announced plans for expansions all across the country, including in Spring
Hill and North Knoxville in Tennessee, the Castle Pines/Castle Rock area of Colorado,
and the Golden Strip in Northern Pennsylvania.
Beyond those plans, Texas Roadhouse is also arranging for an opening this fall at River
City Marketplace in Jacksonville, Florida, a new location in Aurora, Illinois, a spot
in Charleston, West Virginia, and a new proposal in the works for a restaurant in Oak Creek,
Wisconsin.
In an almost clairvoyant prediction, LongHorn Steakhouse tightened up its operations and
slimmed down its menu right before the pandemic shook the restaurant industry.
By becoming more operationally nimble, LongHorn set itself up for sustained success.
The chain has more than 500 locations around the United States and is poised for even further
growth.
One of LongHorn Steakhouse's new locations is being planned for Sioux Falls, South Dakota,
at Empire Place, with another at The Highlands in Wheeling, West Virginia, and a third spot
across from Duck Pond in Temecula, California.
With a tasty menu and some ambitious new locations planned, we have every reason to believe that
LongHorn Steakhouse will keep growing.
With 20 locations worldwide and plans for expansion into new territory, Wolfgang's Steakhouse
is a well-respected chain with a more sophisticated menu than some of its competitors.
Owner Wolfgang Zwiener dry-ages his steakhouse's USDA Prime beef in cold lockers at each location.
Wolfgang's also cooks its dry-aged steaks in a 1600-degree broiler that chars the exterior
of the beef and keeps the whole cut piping hot until it reaches the plate.
Wolfgang's has its eyes on the future with plans to bring its refined brand to more people.
In February 2022, Wolfgang's opened a new location in Boston, a project that was years
in the making.
The restaurant also has plans for an expansion at its Waikiki location.
In late 2020, operations manager Manny Cournede told KHON2 News,
"We're adding about 30 more seats in the back of the restaurant.
We'll be adding four or five private party rooms."
One way Fleming's sets itself apart from the pack is by offering a range of signature butter
spreads, which can be paired with their classic and specialty cuts of steak to coat the premium
beef in an extra luxurious layer of flavor.
Fleming's also offers a range of plant-based options.
If that's fired up your appetite, you're in luck: Fleming's has almost 70 restaurants
located across the U.S., with plans for more soon.
David Deno, CEO of Fleming's parent company Bloomin' Brands told Tampa Bay Business Journal
that he sees opportunities for Fleming's to grow in Florida and California.
Construction on a new location near Tampa International Airport is scheduled to begin
sometime this year.
Ruth's Chris Steak House is a high-end chain that serves steaks searing hot on a 500-degree
plate.
And if you're looking for a high-quality surf-and-turf experience, Ruth's Chris offers two entrées
that pair their Prime beef with shrimp or lobster.
With such a rich, flavorful menu that's so skillfully prepared, it's no wonder that Ruth's
Chris Steak House now boasts more than 150 locations worldwide and has plans for expansions
all over the country, including in Long Island and Iowa.
Fogo de Chão is a Brazilian steakhouse famous for churrasco, where high quality cuts of
meat are pierced through long skewers, expertly grilled, sliced directly onto customers' plates,
and typically paired with chimichurri sauce.
"When it comes to the table, you know that first image of the alcatra coming to the table
is just like, wow, you know, I'm gonna have a little bit of that."
The chain's founding brothers opened their first location in Brazil in 1979, and now
Fogo de Chão now has more than 60 locations worldwide.
FSR magazine reports that the 2022 plans are for eight to 10 additional corporate stores
and one or two more international restaurants.
The company's goal is to expand beyond 300 restaurants over the next 20 years.
Benihana opened America's first teppanyaki restaurant in 1964.
The chain's dishes are prepared by trained chefs who turn food preparation into performance
art, with tricks like turning stacks of grilled onions into flaming volcanoes using canola
oil and Japanese kerosene.
Benihana now has nearly 80 locations in the U.S. and abroad, with plans in the works for
new locations.
In a 2021 press release, Benihana CEO and president Tom Baldwin revealed,
"We are working on several new locations for our Benihana and RA Sushi brands throughout
the U.S."
Some of these expansions will include a new location in Texas and another in London.
The Capital Grille offers up exceptional cuts of beef that are dry-aged anywhere from 18
to 24 days and then trimmed by their in-house butchers at each of their locations.
The chain opened its first location at Union Station in Providence, Rhode Island in 1990.
It now has more than 60 locations scattered across the United States and around the world
with plans for continued expansion, including debuts in Utah and Kentucky.
If you want to check out the chain's top notch steaks from the comfort of your own home,
you're in luck: the Capital Grille offers "grille boxes" on its website so that diners
can order its famous steaks for delivery.
Sullivan's pairs outstanding food and live jazz artists to create an intimate, yet lively
atmosphere.
Steak options include a bone-in ribeye cowboy cut and filet mignon, and the chain has an
eclectic appetizer menu featuring cheesesteak egg rolls and smoked pork belly medallions
in a sweet barbecue glaze with tomato relish.
"We're gonna add some yellow onions…"
"Philly cheese steak egg rolls?"
"Yep."
"Never heard such a…is it a signature?"
"By far our best-selling appetizer."
Sullivan's has 15 locations that stretch across the country, and it has plans for expansion.
Sullivan's CEO Nishant Machado tells FSR magazine that "three more restaurants are in the pipeline
and slated to open in 2022."
That includes the chain's first location in Arkansas.
Cooper's Hawk isn't necessarily a traditional steakhouse, but its menu still offers some
of the best high-quality grilled beef you'll encounter, like their Prime chimichurri-rubbed
skirt steak and a trio of beef medallions that come crusted in parmesan, coated with
horseradish, and topped with bleu cheese.
Cooper's Hawk has more than 40 locations, with plans to keep growing.
Construction has already begun on a new spot in Illinois slated to open by the end of the
year.
There are plans for a location in Arizona, and the chain is breaking ground on its second
location in St. Louis with an opening date set for later in 2022.
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