Which Major Steakhouse Chain Has The Biggest Menu?

Steakhouses are a classic style of restaurant found across the U.S., from big-city formal dining rooms to the more approachable Midwestern supper clubs. Many immigrants have contributed their beef-centric restaurant traditions to the American dining scene, too, and now you can find eateries serving Brazilian picanha, Argentine entraña, Nicaraguan carne asada, Korean galbi, and so much more throughout the country. There are also many chain restaurants that specialize in steaks, ranging from inexpensive themed restaurants, like Texas Roadhouse and Outback Steakhouse, to fine-dining options, like Morton's and Ruth's Chris, along with some international options, like Rodizio Grill. Some more traditional establishments may offer only a few cuts of beef, while others have expansive menus that cater to almost every palate, including kids. But out of these chains, which one has the biggest selection?

We analyzed the menus of 10 major steakhouse chains in the United States to answer this question and counted only the food, since a restaurant can really beef up (no pun intended) its total menu options with a full bar or an encyclopedia of soft drink choices. We excluded combo platters to focus solely on unique menu items, looked only at dinner offerings, and didn't include all-you-can-eat establishments, like rodizios and buffets. The list featured a combination of high-end and more casual restaurant chains, and the winner, with more than 80 unique food options, is Outback Steakhouse. However, not all of these restaurants specialize in the same type of dining experience, and several steakhouses surpassed the Australian-themed chain in certain categories, including the variety of steaks on the menu.

Some steakhouse chains whose menus we analyzed really seemed to pad their offerings with a lot of non-steak options, like burgers, ribs, chicken, and seafood. Only 10% of Outback's menu is devoted to steak, with just seven unique options. Texas Roadhouse, which lagged behind Outback with two fewer total offerings, made up for it with two more steak options than the home of the Bloomin' Onion. Morton's, a high-end chain originally from Chicago, had the most steak options at 13, followed by other expensive chains, like The Capital Grille and Smith & Wollensky, two of the best U.S. steakhouse chains whose menus both feature 11 steak options.

The three restaurants above also had the biggest appetizer sections on their menus, with Morton's topping the list at 27 items. Morton's and Smith & Wollensky also featured around twice as many dessert options as their more affordable competitors, Outback, Texas Roadhouse, and Logan's Roadhouse. Logan's, which was founded in Kentucky and has most of its locations in the Eastern United States, actually beat Outback in total entrees by just one item.

Where many casual steakhouse chains have an advantage over their tony competitors is feeding young diners. Out of the high-end chains we looked at, only Ruth's Chris had a kids menu featuring three options for hungry tikes. Outback and Texas Roadhouse tied for the most choices for kids at nine, although the latter's selections are much more substantial, while a third of the former's menu consisted of pint-sized desserts and sides. If dragging the little ones to a steak dinner isn't in your plans, then Morton's is the winner again, with three more adult food options than Outback.