There is a new king in town when it comes to casual dining restaurants in the United States.
According to Fox Business, popular chain Texas Roadhouse has just bested Olive Garden for the honor, breaking OG’s seven-year streak on top.
Even Olive Garden — with their famous endless salad and breadsticks, along with their endless pasta promotions — have struggled to retain the popularity in America that they have had such a stranglehold for the last 2,500-plus days.
Texas Roadhouse and their 700 locations have shot up as the go-to spot when it comes to Americans heading out to spend their hard-earned money on food.
According to Restaurant Business, Texas Roadhouse saw a 14.7 percent increase in sales, pulling in $5.5 billion last year. Meanwhile, Olive Garden had just a 0.8 percent increase in sales, bringing in $5.2 billion from its more than 920 locations across the country.
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Back in the day, you couldn’t get into an Olive Garden for dinner without having to hold onto one of those square things that lights up when your table is ready after 45 minutes.
Are those days behind us?
Even though Texas Roadhouse has 200+ less locations than OG, they’ve been able to dethrone them as the most popular casual dining restaurant in the States.
If you’re wondering who comes in 3rd, 4th and 5th: Those honors go to Chili’s, Applebee’s and Buffalo Wild Wings, in that order.
When it all boils down to it, and it’s time for us Americans to head out for our favorite fast-casual dining experience, we seem to be simple. We like steak, Italian, Mexican and American food, with an emphasis on chicken wings and burgers.
Amen.
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