My family ate at Fogo de Chão for the first time for $230. The steak house's unlimited salad bar and excessive meat service weren't our thing.
My family has never cared much for chain restaurants, but in the past year, my husband and I have visited more with our teenagers.
By dining at steak houses such as Ruth's Chris and iconic breakfast spots including IHOP, we've learned to appreciate what chains have to offer, from reasonable prices to a consistent experience.
But we'd yet to try a Brazilian churrasco meal like the one offered at Fogo de Chão.
My family of 4 went to Ruth's Chris for the first time, and our $500 meal at the upscale steak chain felt like a true value
While my family spent years avoiding chain restaurants, we recently started visiting them with our teenagers.
We've been pleasantly surprised by chains we've visited so far — from the Caribbean-themed Bahama Breeze to steak-house chains such as LongHorn Steakhouse — so I was excited to up the ante and head to Ruth's Chris Steak House.
My family of 4 went to LongHorn Steakhouse for the first time, and our $150 dinner felt like an incredible value
My husband and I have always prided ourselves in the fact that we rarely eat at chain restaurants and try to support locally-owned businesses whenever possible.
But lately, our teenagers have been asking about the chain restaurants they've seen in ads or on TikTok, so we decided to try some together as a family.