Are Any National Steakhouse Chains Family-Owned?

America certainly loves its steak, but when there is that much money to be had, it's hard to keep a steakhouse chain in the family. The biggest name in chain steak right now, Texas Roadhouse, has taken advantage of our love of beef to become the top casual dining chain in the country, even surpassing big names like Olive Garden and Chili's. And while no other steak chain quite comes close, other big brands like LongHorn and Outback still generate billions themselves. That attracts a lot of investors and creates a certain temptation to sell. But there is one steak chain among the 10 largest in the country that has remained family-owned: Texas de Brazil.

Technically, Texas de Brazil is owned by Texas de Brazil Corp., but that company is still family-owned by the man who helped found it back in 1988. His name is Salim Asrawi, a Lebanese immigrant who fled the war-torn country when he was only 14, ultimately landing in Texas. As an adult, Asrawi dined at a Brazilian steakhouse in Sao Paolo when traveling and realized the massive skewers of flame-grilled meat would be a huge hit in his adoptive home state.

Asrawi was so confident of its success that he, his mother, and his uncle drained all their savings and maxed out every credit card they could open to start Texas de Brazil. Spoiler alert: It paid off, as the brand now offers over a dozen cuts of meat at each location. Nearly 40 years later, the chain boasts over 50 locations around the country and is valued at an estimated $300 million.

As for the rest of the big name chain steakhouses, they are all pretty much owned by one large restaurant group or another. The one exception is the most exceptional: Texas Roadhouse, which is publicly traded. The company went public all the way back in 2004 when it was a still growing but not yet massive chain with 175 locations. Today, there are almost 750 restaurants, plus the company's other brands, Bubba's and Jaggers. The whole thing is worth a mind-boggling $10 billion.

The other steakhouse chains are owned by a small collection of names that you might recognize. The number two chain, LongHorn, is owned by Darden, the casual dining behemoth that also owns Olive Garden and Yard House, among others. In fact, Darden also owns a number of other national steakhouse chains, including Ruth's Chris Steak House after purchasing it back in 2023, and The Capital Grille.

Outback is owned by the namesake company it was the bedrock foundation of: Bloomin' Brands. However, Bloomin' has expanded quite a bit since Outback's founding in 1988, including its purchase of another major steak chain, Fleming's, along with Carrabba's and Bonefish Grill. A slightly smaller group is Landry's, which owns both Saltgrass Steakhouse and Morton's The Steakhouse. Lastly, Logan's Roadhouse is owned by Cici's Pizza's parent company SSCP management, while Fogo De Chão was acquired by investors from private equity firm Bain Capital. Not exactly names that scream "family," but wherever money flows in the restaurant world, even bigger money is bound to follow.