Texans can’t get enough of these restaurants during COVID-19 pandemic, report says

Texas Roadhouse has been the most popular fast-casual restaurant in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic began.

But not in Texas.

Nope, the Lonestar state’s food interests fall with another popular national chain, according to researchers at insight company TOP Data.

The team analyzed cellphone data from mid-March to July 27 to determine how many people visited what TOP Data calls the top 50 fast-casual restaurants in the U.S. compared to the same period in 2019.

It determined Olive Garden has been Texas’s most visited restaurant. Olive Garden was the top restaurant among 12 states in the U.S., with Texas Roadhouse leading the way with 15 states.

The other top restaurants visited in Texas were Chili’s, Texas Roadhouse, Denny’s and IHOP, according to TOP Data.

Applebee’s and Chili’s each ranked as the No. 1 restaurant in a handful of states. Denny’s was most popular in three states and twostates liked Longhorn Steakhouse the most. Outback Steakhouse and Waffle House each took the top spot in one state: Florida and Mississippi, respectively.

Not surprisingly, traffic at fast-food and sit-down restaurants has been down since the pandemic began. While fast-food restaurant traffic is down a mere 30% since last year, sit-down establishments have seen a 58% dip in traffic, TOP Data said. Restaurants were forced to shutdown when states across the US imposed lockdown measures to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 1:07 PM.