The night was young, my stomach was empty, and the parking lot was moderately full. The illuminating neon sign bloomed bright red against the night. I admired the soft orange reflection against the metallic roof as my family, from young to old, emerged from their cars, the children engaged in a game and the adults engaged in conversation. As people smiled and hugged and played, we opened the restaurant doors and entered the familiar Western setting.
Longhorn Steakhouse stems from the large and established company Darden Restaurants. It was first opened in 1981 by George McKerrow Jr. as a maverick option of casual dining during a time when Atlanta had few other dining choices. The suburban restaurant grew strong roots in the community with its inviting pricing and comfortable atmosphere. Presently, Longhorn has expanded to almost three hundred restaurants throughout the southeast. McKerrow’s knowledge of dining over forty years rewarded much success. His contributions to the Atlanta food scene earned recognition when, in 2008, he was inducted into the Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame. Alongside partner Ted Turner, McKerrow now operates Ted’s Montana Grill, an environmentally friendly American grill featuring dishes made from scratch. Still a corporate restaurant at heart, the mainstream steakhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, has much to prove. Although it is no longer operated by George, his influences can be seen throughout the evening.
The night glow diffused through the doors and complemented the inside lighting. It was low but visible, a soft light calming to the eyes and pleasing to the decoration. Western with Texan influences was the theme. The color balanced with the sand washed walls and deep accented wood. Oil paintings varnished the walls, their brush strokes vibrantly visible yet still a smooth integration of the painting. Stuffed bulls and cows leaped from the walls, ropes winded around corners, and light music danced through the air. The pastoral colors and natural feel of the atmosphere developed a calmer mood, and I found my family and myself easily laughing more as we eased into the setting.
The layout was open and the tables were partially occupied. Couples and families scattered about various tables, each with their own degree of separation and seclusion. My family settled at a large circular booth that bent inside of a corner, allowing everyone to talk to and see each other, a prime location I look for in any restaurant. Throughout the night, I simply glanced away from my menu or food to talk to someone different.
As a steakhouse, Longhorn’s primary attraction is its steak. From the signature Flo’s Filet to the Outlaw Rib eye to the Eye of Prime Rib, the success is clearly in the meat. Its status as a steakhouse explains the pricing throughout the menu, with steak prices easily climbing into the twenties. Even with its strong steak roots, Longhorn offers cheaper alternatives such as seafood, sandwiches, salads, chicken, pork and soups.
I scanned a children’s menu that Longhorn provided and indicated foods to my younger cousins that their picky tastes may actually consider. They seemed distracted. To be entirely fair, my reading of the menu was not as interesting as the crayons that were provided with the menu. Traditional foods most children have a difficult time ignoring were on the menu: hamburgers, fries, hot dogs, and, naturally, infamous chicken fingers. The selection allowed the restaurant to be very children friendly, even when children are not the target audience of a traditional steakhouse. This characteristic is one of Longhorn’s successes: family friendly dining.
My family debated main course options, creating an intricate plan in the process. At any given point, I could ask someone for a bite of their meal to try something different. Surely my family was no novice to the industry or game; we appreciate variety in our menus. The menu opened to the appetizers on one side and a small wine list on the other. I never expected the wine list to be developed; rather, I expected it to be immature because of the family nature and core of the restaurant. A bar was available, however. Separate from the dining area, it was complete with TVs relaying the latest sports game.
Some appetizers seemed to resemble meals due to the generous portions of food. The Texas Tonion was a favorite: a large, lightly battered Spanish onion intricately cut to resemble a blooming flower, served with a tangy sauce. If I had been solely responsible for it, my stomach would quietly develop hateful feelings towards me. My younger sister chose the Firecracker Chicken Wraps: soft tortillas filled of spicy chicken and topped with melting cheese. The salads arrived alongside the appetizers just as I settled on the steak of the evening. At Longhorn, it is better to go with an empty stomach for dinner, even though the dining is defined as casual. My Caesar salad, overflowing from the bowl, came with just the right amount of dressing for my tastes: enough to know the dressing was present but not enough to cover the color of the lettuce.
Service was predictable. It mimicked the average service you would find at any commercial dining establishment. Several times throughout the meal, our waitress seemed rushed. She often filled one request, such as refilling a drink, and left without even an acknowledgement as we were asking her for extra butter to accompany the bread or if she could bring more napkins. It happened to my mother twice during the meal, and although I realize people are fallible and make mistakes, the service was amiss.
When my eighteen ounce rib eye settled in front of me, complete with a bubbling butter and juice fortress around the steak, minor service annoyances left my mind. Over a pound of meat sat in front of me. At first glance the steak appeared lonely with little accent and sides to fill the empty space on the plate. The first cut oozed juices, revealed a soft, warm red center, and entangled my senses. The fat was not overwhelming but complementary to the flavor. With each cut and each bite I drifted further from the table and into my own world. At one point I seemed to have forgotten to talk, but my family brought me to reality and understood my situation. It had been a while since I had gone out to a steakhouse, even longer than the time I have been in college. The restaurant wasn’t the only one with strong roots in steak.
The restaurant doesn’t meet the higher standards of dining. The service has little charisma and left a damp impact on my opinion, however this did not heavily factor into my conclusion. As the target audience of Longhorn, the higher standards did not matter to me as much as the atmosphere of the evening. Longhorn does have a respectable history, even in its current chain restaurant state. The atmosphere is the restaurant’s strength. Its comfortable, inviting family environment is a tribute to the company’s success and the expansion of Longhorn across the Southeast.
As our dinner settled, belt buckles loosened, and people leaned farther back into their seats, my family talked, courteously undisturbed by the waitress. The night mingled inside and the lights shone brighter against the dark. We laughed and we talked the hours away.
★★★
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