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THE LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE

√√√√√ $$$ ➡️

5375 East Bay Drive, Largo, FL 33764
(727) 539-1536

THE MID PRICED STEAK MARKET IS COMPETITIVE, VERY COMPETITIVE — I get lazy at times since I cook a lot, so we eat out, and that means reasonable, which means affordable.  I can’t go to Ruth Cris, Shuler’s, nor Peter Lugers in Williamsburg Brooklyn all the time, one, if not the the top Steakhouse in the USA .  My Dad had a store three blocks from Lugers, I ate there once.  So respected,  they take cash or a Peter Luger Credit Card -   Nothing else —   I just want to eat,  a small moderate steak, a potato and a salad and I’m happy, happy.  Nothing exotic or fancy — 

At one time I was a huge fan of STEAK and ALE and they went away. Then LONESTAR bit the bullet, they priced themselves out of the market. The OUTBACKS Blooming Onion had me for a while but recent changes in management and charges including about a forty percent cost rise placed me on the prowl again. 

A coupon addicted friend of mine had a few dollars off at the Longhorn and we decided to give them a try. Voila!  We have been back over a dozen times, closer to fourteen.  Just the first year, and that was ten years ago. A lot more till COVID.

Three things make a place successful in this category of restaurant, (really a price range)  a very competitive category when you consider the options.  Mid priced includes Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Italian and German establishments. Basically they all offer some variant of  beef, pork, chicken or seafood, they just prepare it differently.

• Consistency, you go back to a place if it is consistent. On a road trip you look for a familiar franchise you trust for their consistency.  We have eaten at this location more than a dozen times and it is consistent.
• Quality, you don’t want the grizzle sandwich when you ordered sirloin. And an anemic potato or rust colored salad.
• Service, a smile, yes and no sir or mama , none of the hi-guys, yuzz-guys, awesome’s and cool
• Now bear in mind this pertains to this location.

MY CHOICES —THIS LOCATION BECAME MY FAVORITE —  

The House selection of steaks was excellent.  The 11 Oz. Renegade for me and she (a very petite lady) had the Renegade 6 Oz,  both with loaded baked potatoes, Caesar salad and plenty of warm bread and butter. With the coupon and totally cleaned plates, maybe a smidgen of Heinz 57 and full bellies, the total less tip and using the coupons which pop up at times on line.  Without the coupon the prices are still very reasonable.  Prices may vary during the pandemic and availability.  Also supply and demand has thrown both good and bad places to change services and content.

The food was great, the service was excellent, the place is clean and a working front manager (the floater) was seeing that everything went as to plan. Including busing tables when they got busy.  It’s a well coordinated crew with little turnover, thats good sign in the business.  When your head chef has been there twenty-five years, I think they got it right.

OUR EXPERIENCE —  It was a nice meal and well done.  We probably have eaten there fourteen or fifteen times a year — dozen’s of  trips back since then to this same location for ten years and every part and every area of consideration got an “A”.   Good management, good food, good staff is the key.  Very nice staff and consistent, thats the right way.

MY EXPERIENCE —  Note: I  never do research on a place prior to eating there.  I read them after I post.  I form my opinion based on how I was treated and what I observed.  I do not wish to be swayed.  Only after I form an opinion, do I read the Google ( everything is wonderful) or YELP (where if you don’t pay they don’t play) but pay little attention.  

I laugh and realize how mortally weak minded some people are.  When some people complain with some of the most ridiculous comments I have ever read,  their comments were not thought out.  

In another case, incredibly stupid — don’t blame a place for having to wait for a seat when its a holiday or weekend.  Good places get busy on these days, either get there earlier or later than rush hours or rush days and change your schedule.  One guy complained he waited ten minutes at  the bar was, which was  to get a drink, thats life,  bud.  Another wrote the butter was hard, just simpletons.

I have a food blog, previous restaurant experience and in some cases and places, some owners  would prefer I not show up.  They do not wish to be scrutinized that deeply.  Sorry, I call it as I see it.  I will blast bad waiters or waitresses, a pushy bartender, or a negligent hostess, any of which can ruin a meal as well as the guys in the backend. In ten years every time we ate there is was an enjoyable belly warming experience.

In the past six years a dozen places I zonked, because they were dirty, or sloppy or serving bad food are no longer are in business.  It wasn’t just what I wrote, I just got there first, and others like the folks at Dirty Dinning on Channel 10 saw what I saw.   

One chain store franchise was so filthy and dirty, I called the health department from my car.  An open sewer pipe in an eating establishment is an automatic shutdown. Took three years but their last store, four in total all were closed by the health people and TV. And it was a SUBWAY at lunchtime. 

I don't make it apparent that I write about their food,  some require immediate attention, but I usually give a place after three meals, and I always drag someone with me as backup opinion.  In a place like this where they do a good job, I will let them know it.  My companion goes nuts because of what I observe that to most folks would go un-noticed. Thats just my experience and training. 

This place is one of my favorites and I eat there once or twice a month…

 

THEY ARE PART OF DARDEN RESTAURANTS, INC
Darden Restaurants, Inc. is a multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Orlando. The firm owns several casual dining restaurant brands: Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Red Lobster, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Eddie V's Prime Seafood, The Capital Grille and Yard House. 

Darden has more than 2,100 restaurant locations and more than 200,000 employees, making it the world's largest full-service restaurant company. As of 2012, Darden is the only Fortune 500 company with its corporate headquarters in Greater Orlando.  Most of the Darden chain consists of moderately priced people places that we have eaten in and consider safe, good value and acceptable places to bring your family too. 

👏🏼  COMPLIMENTS TO THE MANAGER and THE CREW
Bottom line…for a chain, this place excels, the food was hot, good, fresh, well served and I went out satisfied fourteen times in a row.  Year after year,  by the way I generally order the same thing each time to detect any policy or selection changes. It’s also what I enjoy the most.   They were very consistent even though parts of the menu had changed.  By 2020 we have eaten at this Longhorn multiple times and the quality, consistency, service and continuity in process are excellent.

Simply put, I recommend this place  as a five based on the three things in my guide again,  I observed, Consistency, Quality, and Professional Service. I had a nice discussion with the owner table side and as the working partner he takes his restaurant very seriously. He told me his lead chef has been with him 23 years — In this industry thats a miracle.

Visited  2013 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 - 2017 - 2018 - 2019 - 2020  - 2021- 2022Still good as ever and very, very busy during the tourist season.  Get there early or late or have patience. The tourists know this is a good place and busy on weekends. By the way the lunch specials are incredible, I had the Filet Sandwich for just a tad more than a burger joint —