He ordered the same ribeye from four chains, one pulled a 3.3 and another an 8.2, proof that price means nothing at steak restaurants

When heading out to a casual dining chain, most people are looking for a decent meal at a price that won’t cause damage. There is always the lingering question of whether quality holds up when the order is something like a ribeye. TikTok user Jack Mancuso (@chefcuso) decided to put that to the test, and the results speak for themselves.

As detailed by BroBible, Mancuso ordered a ribeye from four major chains: Applebee’s, Chili’s, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Texas Roadhouse, to see which one actually delivers the best experience. The most notable detail is that the prices were all remarkably similar, ranging between $25.49 and $28.99.

Despite the comparable costs, the quality gap between the top and bottom performers was significant. Mancuso’s ratings ranged from a 3.3 all the way up to an 8.2, a spread that tells its own story before a single detail is explained.

The chains at the bottom of the rankings had more in common than just a low score

The Applebee’s steak, priced at $25.99, was his first stop. He requested a medium-rare cook but noted the steak arrived well-done in several spots, describing it as very chewy and lacking in flavor. He gave it a 3.6 out of 10.

Things did not improve at Chili’s. The $25.49 ribeye was an immediate disappointment, with Mancuso remarking that it felt like a hockey puck. He observed that it was cooked well-done, lacked a good sear, and featured a tiny ribeye cap, ultimately rating it a 3.3 out of 10. The seasoning, he noted, was slightly better than Applebee’s, though the execution fell far short of expectations. Amid broader conversations about chain restaurant food quality, a TikToker’s Chipotle food safety warning earlier this year also drew widespread attention online.

The tide turned at the $28.99 LongHorn Steakhouse ribeye. Mancuso called it a good steak, describing it as super tender, well-seasoned, and featuring a giant ribeye cap, awarding it an 8.2 out of 10 and confirming it was cooked correctly to medium-rare.

The $27.49 Texas Roadhouse ribeye rounded out the test. He noted it leaned closer to medium than medium-rare, attributing some of that to resting time in the to-go box, but he enjoyed the propane grill charbroil flavor and found it still tender with a nice, big ribeye cap. He gave it a 7.1 out of 10.

LongHorn Steakhouse has built a longer-standing reputation for its focus on meat quality, having been around since the 1980s and now operating over 500 locations. The chain holds annual competitions for its grill masters and offers a wide variety of cuts, from filets to T-bones. As Tasting Table’s ranked breakdown of LongHorn steaks covers, the chain uses both flat-top searing and open-flame grilling depending on the cut, with the boneless ribeye seared on a flat-top and the bone-in Outlaw Ribeye finished over an open flame.

Not everyone in the comments agreed with Mancuso’s methods. Some users pointed out that letting steaks sit in a to-go box may affect temperature and texture, with one commenter noting that all the steaks appeared cold. Others were more supportive, with one suggesting the Texas Roadhouse steak typically looks better fresh off the grill and potentially deserves an 8.5.

The debate over how much resting time affects a restaurant steak score echoes wider online discussions about food criticism, including a restaurant owner’s furious response to a relatively mild three-star review that went viral earlier this year.