On a Friday in early January 2022, Neighbor Roy and I dined at Longhorn Steakhouse on Oracle Road in Tucson. The parking lot was fairly crowded when we arrived at about 12:30 PM. I had originally thought we would go to Cielo on Alvernon, but Roy needed me to drop him off at the Toyota Dealer on Wetmore to pick up his truck that was in for repairs. Longhorn is just around the corner. So that’s where we went.
There was a wait for seating of 10 minutes even though I saw several open tables available. I wondered if the wait was because of staffing issues due to COVID or observing social distancing. Both of us were wearing face masks and were completely vaccinated so we were not particularly worried about catching that dreadful disease while out in public.
When we were seated, our waitress took our drink orders. Roy, as usual, ordered hot tea. I, as usual, ordered a margarita on the rocks … with salt ($5.99). When she brought our drinks, we ordered lunch. Roy ordered the Longhorn half-pound cheeseburger ($8.99). Cooked well-done. I ordered the ribeye steak ($20.99) and a baked potato with everything on it ($2.50). I ordered my steak cooked medium.
Before our waitress brought our lunches, she delivered a loaf of fresh, warm bread and butter. Tasted great.
I’ll let Roy tell you about his experience.
“Today we. dined at the Longhorn Steakhouse restaurant on N. Oracle. The parking lot was quite full.  We parked and entered the restaurant. The greeter told us there would be a 10-minute wait. There was one other couple in front of us.  Jim observed several empty dining spots and offered the observation that it must be due to a lack of wait staff.  I agreed. It is hard to live on minimum wages today, especially with rampant inflation.  We waited just a few minutes until we were taken to our table.  The waitress was prompt, did not seem stressed, and took our orders promptly–I ordered hot tea and selected the 1/2 pound burger with  (8.99) a choice of 3 kinds of cheese. Naturally, I  chose American – after all, in this era of chronic changes–it is important to observe traditions–the only cheese one should select for one’s burger is American cheese.  The order came with a choice of fries, salad or soup. I chose the southwestern soup–a fair-sized bowl of a tasty soup with tortilla strips.  I had some difficulty finishing my lunch as it was somewhat more than someone my age (89) should eat–but boy, what a deal–1/2 pound of beef, slices of cheese, tomato slice, onion slice on a very tasty bun–and a bowl of great soup for $8.99. Measure that against the cost of your next 1/4 pounder in a sit-down, very western and masculine environment.  It deserves the full 4 saguaros.”
My ribeye was excellent as was the baked potato with bacon bits, sour cream, cheese, and butter. I concur with Neighbor Roy. We both rate Longhorn Steakhouse four saguaros. Although it is a chain and we shy away from chain restaurants, you can’t argue over a good meal.
Longhorn Steakhouse
4421 N Oracle Rd Tucson, AZ 85705(520) 293-7942
Open at 11 AM until 10 PM except Fridays and Saturdays open until 11 PM
