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Every Kennedy family tragedy that has fueled rumors of a 'Kennedy curse'

Joseph P. and Rose Kennedy surrounded by their children at a family gathering at their home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Joseph P. and Rose Kennedy surrounded by their children at a family gathering at their home in Palm Beach, Florida.

CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images

  • After Robert and John F. Kennedy were assassinated, a rumor formed that the family could be cursed.
  • Their history has been marred with tragedy, from four plane crashes to a deadly skiing accident.
  • In 1969, Ted Kennedy publicly referenced the curse when apologizing for fleeing a fatal car crash.

Members of the Kennedy family have reached the highest positions in public office, becoming senators, congressmen, and even the president. Now, the next generation of Kennedys is carrying that legacy forward.

Still, the family has also endured profound losses across generations. Most recently, Kyle Kennedy, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, died at 42 in September.

The family has also dealt with numerous tragedies, from illness and assassinations to fatal accidents and addiction. The family’s history of loss has fueled the long-running notion of a “Kennedy curse.”

Here are the many tragedies that have affected the Kennedy family.

Kennedy patriarch Joe Kennedy Sr. had high expectations of his children. Some conspiracists have suggested he was to blame for what would befall his family.
Joe Kennedy Sr. with his sons John and Joseph Jr. in 1937.
Joe Kennedy Sr. with his sons John and Joseph Jr. in 1937.

Corbis/Getty Images

Joe Kennedy Sr. rose from reasonably humble beginnings to become an ambassador to Britain, and he made millions working as a bank president, selling liquor, and owning a Hollywood studio, The Atlantic reported.

Conspiracists have maintained that the Kennedy patriarch committed crimes like bootlegging to make the fortune that eventually supported future Kennedy endeavors.

The New Yorker reported these crimes were often mentioned "in the same breath" as the tragedies that struck the Kennedys, "assuming that there is a dark pattern in the way things happen."

The first Kennedy to feel the brunt of his ambition was his daughter, Rosemary, born in 1918.
Kathleen, Rose, and Rosemary Kennedy in formal gowns and carrying bouquets at Buckingham Palace in 1938.
Kathleen, Rose, and Rosemary Kennedy in formal gowns and carrying bouquets at Buckingham Palace in 1938.

Corbis/Getty Images

She had seizures and tantrums and was intellectually disabled, though her parents worked hard to keep that a secret from society. 

To avoid the suspicion that anything was different about Rosemary, she was presented alongside her sister Kathleen at Buckingham Palace with other eligible debutantes, Marie Claire reported.

"To present Rosemary, an intellectually disabled adult, to the monarchy at Buckingham Palace during the debutante season was more than a bold act," Kate Clifford Larson, the author of "Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter," said, Marie Claire reported.

"A debutante with intellectual disabilities would have stirred long-held prejudices about passing along 'defective' traits to the next generation," she said. "Joe and Rose were determined to keep the family secret, making sure that Rosemary was treated just like all the other eligible young women presented at court that year."

In 1941, Joe Kennedy Sr. organized for his daughter, then 23, to have a lobotomy, with disastrous consequences.
Eunice and Rosemary Kennedy pictured aboard the S. S. Manhattan in New York in 1938.
Eunice and Rosemary Kennedy pictured aboard the S. S. Manhattan in New York in 1938.

Bettmann/Getty Images

At the time, the media said the operation was "easier than curing a toothache," NPR reported, and was frequently used to "treat" people with mental illnesses. However, the lobotomy only made Rosemary's condition worse.

For months afterward, she was unable to walk or talk, and she was put into an institution and cut off from her family for the next two decades. Rosemary lived at a mental health facility until her death in 2005.

The next tragedy struck the eldest son, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. sitting outside a building at Harvard University in 1938.
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. at Harvard University in 1938.

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Joe Jr. had been groomed for political office his whole life. When he was born, his grandfather, who was then the mayor of Boston, had told the press he would become president one day, according to the National Park Service.

Joe Jr. was successful both as an athlete and a student, Vanity Fair reported.

When he graduated from high school, he was awarded a trophy for the best student in both "scholarship and sportsmanship," according to Vanity Fair.

Joe Jr. left before his senior year at Harvard Law to volunteer as a Navy flyer in World War II. He died during a failed secret bombing campaign.
Joe Kennedy Jr. smiles at the camera in 1944.
Joe Kennedy Jr. smiles at the camera in 1944.

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According to the National Park Service, Joe Jr. volunteered for the mission, which involved flying explosives over enemy territory, detonating them, and parachuting to safety. However, the explosives were accidentally set off early, killing both pilots on board the aircraft. 

"His worldly success was so assured and inevitable that his death seems to have cut into the natural order of things," his brother John wrote in a family memorial.

In 1948, another plane crash rocked the family when Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy died in a plane crash in France.
John F. Kennedy and Kathleen Kennedy at Palm Beach, Florida, in 1934.
John F. Kennedy and Kathleen Kennedy at Palm Beach, Florida, in 1934.

Corbis/Getty Images

She had been a headstrong child, and her decisions in her love life caused a rift in the family — her mother, Rose, disapproved of Kathleen's soon-to-be marriage to a Protestant man, The Atlantic reported.

Months after their wedding in 1944, her husband was killed in battle, and she began an affair with Earl Peter Wentworth Fitzwilliam, a married man. 

Before the couple traveled to Paris to seek her father's blessing, People reported that their 10-seat plane encountered turbulence and crashed into the mountains between Paris and Cannes.

Both Kick and Peter, who was piloting the plane, were killed on impact. She was 28 years old. Only her father, Joe Sr., attended her funeral, according to The Atlantic.

After Joe Jr.'s death, Joe Sr. turned his focus to John F. Kennedy, who told a friend, "Now the burden falls on me."
John F. Kennedy and his father Joe P. Kennedy poses for photographers onboard the SS Queen Mary in 1938.
John F. Kennedy and his father Joe P. Kennedy poses for photographers onboard the SS Queen Mary in 1938.

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Joe Sr. helped him begin his political life, using his contacts to call in favors and spending tens of thousands of dollars on his campaign, The Atlantic reported.

He reportedly said, "We're going to sell Jack like soap flakes," per PBS.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy became president of the US, and his family became forever regarded as American royalty. 

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade in downtown Dallas.
President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie in a motorcade passing through through Dealey Plaza in 1963.
President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie in a motorcade minutes before he was killed in 1963.

Bettmann/Getty Images

He was fatally shot on November 22, 1963. President Kennedy was 46 years old.

The so-called "curse" of the Kennedys began to solidify the following week when Jackie Kennedy, who was known for shaping her family's image and her husband's presidency, invited a Life magazine reporter to Cape Cod for an exclusive interview.
Robert and Edward Kennedy with Jackie Kennedy during the funeral of President John F. Kennedy.
Robert and Edward Kennedy with Jackie Kennedy during the funeral of President John F. Kennedy.

Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

During the interview, she said, "There will be great presidents again, but there will never be another Camelot," CBS reported.

"You must think of this little boy, sick so much of the time, reading history, reading the Knights of the Round Table, reading Marlborough," she continued, The Atlantic reported. "For Jack, history was full of heroes."

It was over the next few years, as Robert "Bobby" Kennedy grieved for his brother, that he started to see parallels between his family and the ancient Greeks.
Robert Kennedy at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1968.
Robert Kennedy at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1968.

Archive Photos/Getty Images

A devout Catholic, Bobby began to question the source of his family's tragedies and whether God could give him the answer as to why they had all suffered so much grief, The Washington Post reported.

Bobby had studied the ancient Greek tragedies throughout his education, and he began to draw parallels between the classic parables and his family's woes.

"He began to wonder if the Kennedy family had somehow overreached, dared too greatly," author Evan Thomas wrote in "Robert Kennedy: His Life," per The Washington Post.

"Athenian drama returns obsessively — as we do, every November 22nd — to the shocking and yet seemingly inevitable spectacle of the fallen king, of power and beauty and privilege violently laid low," Daniel Mendelsohn wrote in The New Yorker.

In 1964, seven months after his brother was assassinated, tragedy almost struck the Kennedys again when Sen. Ted Kennedy went down in a plane crash.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, lying in a hospital bed, is visited by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the hospital
Sen. Edward Kennedy is visited by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the hospital where he is recovering from injuries received in a plane crash.

Bettmann/Getty Images

Two people were killed in the incident, but Kennedy lived, CNN reported. He was left badly injured, though. He broke two ribs and three vertebrae, and his lung collapsed, Boston Magazine reported.

After the incident, Bobby alluded to the Kennedys being unlucky.

"There are more of us than there is trouble," he told the media after the crash. "The Kennedys intend to stay in public life. Good luck is something you make, and bad luck is something you endure."

Just four years later, in 1968, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated while campaigning to be president.
Robert F. Kennedy speaks at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
Robert F. Kennedy speaks at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Dick Strobel/AP

He was shot moments after he had won the California Democratic presidential primary. After he was struck, he asked a busboy if everybody else was unharmed, The Atlantic reported.

The busboy reportedly placed a rosary in his hand and told him that everyone was fine, according to The Atlantic. Robert "Bobby" Kennedy died soon after at the age of 42.

It was yet another blow to the Kennedy family, especially since Bobby had been acting as a surrogate father to his late brother John's two children. He also had 11 children with his wife of 18 years, Ethel Kennedy.

In 1969, Ted Kennedy had another near-death experience when he survived driving off a bridge on the island of Chappaquiddick in Massachusetts.
A tow truck pulls Senator Edward Kennedy's car out of Poucha Pond after the Senator's infamous accident on Chappaquiddick Island in 1969.
A tow truck pulls Senator Edward Kennedy's car out of Poucha Pond after the Senator's infamous accident on Chappaquiddick Island in 1969.

Bettmann/Getty Images

Ted Kennedy, then a senator, drove the car off the bridge after leaving a cookout party at a rented cottage, The Atlantic reported. His passenger, a woman named Mary Jo Kopechne, died at the scene.

Ted reportedly tried to save Kopechne, but he then fled and didn't report the crash for 10 hours. Still trapped inside the car, Kopechne drowned in the water. Ted later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene and was sentenced to a two-month suspended jail sentence, the BBC reported.

Ted remained a senator after the controversy but lost his chance to run for president.

After the crash, Ted Kennedy publicly referenced the idea of a family curse for the first time.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy leaves a courthouse in 1969 escorted by security as reporters put microphones toward him
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy leaves a courthouse in 1969, after pleading guilty to leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

Ted Dully/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

During his televised apology a week after the crash, Ted Kennedy said he had wondered "whether some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys," The Washington Post reported.

It marked the first time a member of the Kennedy family openly spoke about the reported "Kennedy curse," the Herald Tribune reported. But the speech had been crafted by several speechwriters, The New York Times reported, and was arguably more of a PR stunt than a true apology or admission of guilt.

In the speech, he recalled the "scrambled thoughts" that went through his mind after the crash, which he gave to the press. 

"They were reflected in the various inexplicable, inconsistent, and inconclusive things I said and did, including such questions as whether the girl might still be alive somewhere out of that immediate area, whether some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys, whether there was some justifiable reason for me to doubt what had happened and to delay my report, whether somehow the awful weight of this incredible incident might in some way pass from my shoulders," he said.

"I was overcome, I'm frank to say, by a jumble of emotions: grief, fear, doubt, exhaustion, panic, confusion, and shock."

In 1984, Bobby Kennedy's son, David Kennedy, died of an overdose in a hotel in Florida.
David Kennedy and Rachel Ward in 1984
David Kennedy and his girlfriend Rachel Ward in 1984.

Sonia Moskowitz/Images/Getty Images

David had struggled with addiction for years after his father's assassination in 1968.

The New York Times reported that David was possibly traumatized after watching his father's assassination on TV when he was 13 years old. He was only 28 years old when he was found dead in his Los Angeles hotel room.

Cocaine, painkillers, and a prescription drug used to treat several different psychotic disorders were found in his system, the Times reported, though there was no determination of whether it was an accidental overdose. 

"He was sensitive and gentle, which was attractive," his ex-girlfriend Rachel Ward later wrote of David in The Sydney Morning Herald in 2014. "David was very young when his father, Robert F. Kennedy, died, and it had an enormous impact on him. He had a drug addiction and was a troubled soul. He didn't have the arrogance of the other Kennedys because he was lost and struggling. But in the end, he couldn't get himself together and went under."

In 1997, Michael Kennedy, another of Robert Kennedy's sons, died in a skiing accident in Colorado.
Michael Kennedy speaks during a press conference at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.
Michael Kennedy speaks out in favor of assault weapons ban during a press conference outside then-Speaker Thomas Finneran's office.

Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Michael, 39, had been tossing around a football with his relatives while skiing.

The family had played "ski-football" for generations, The New York Times reported, and Kennedy was skiing while playing football on skis with relatives and friends when he struck a tree; he was not wearing a helmet.

In another public tragedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and her sister died in a 1999 plane crash near Martha's Vineyard.
John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, in 1998.
John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, in 1998.

Mitch Jacobson/AP

On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her older sister Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.

The group was dropping off Bessette on the island before Kennedy and Bessette-Kennedy planned to travel on to Hyannis to attend his cousin's wedding.

However, after encountering hazy conditions off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Kennedy, the plane's pilot, crashed the plane into the ocean, killing everyone on board. 

As Coast Guard officials searched for the missing bodies, the public outpouring of grief grew over the tragedy of the three young passengers' deaths.

Twenty years later, in 2019, tragedy struck the next generation of Kennedys when Saoirse Kennedy Hill, Robert's granddaughter, died from an accidental overdose.
Saoirse Kennedy Hill holds a relative's baby alongside Joseph Kennedy III.
Saoirse Kennedy Hill holds a relative's baby before a ceremony for naming the Robert Kennedy Navy Ship at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, in Boston.

Elise Amendola/AP

Saoirse died of an overdose at the family's compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, The New York Times reported. She was 22 years old when she died, and had previously written about her struggle with depression, which she called "deep bouts of sadness that felt like a heavy boulder on my chest."

"Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse. Her life was filled with hope, promise, and love," the family said in an official statement. 

In 2020, another of Robert's granddaughters, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, and her 8-year-old son, Gideon, died in a canoe accident.
David McKean, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, and their family attend a gala in New York City in 2019.
David McKean, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, and their family attend a gala in New York City in 2019.

Mike Pont/Getty Images Images for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

The mother and son went missing in a canoe while searching for a ball that had drifted out into the Chesapeake Bay. Both of their bodies were later found by divers, The New York Times reported.

Tatiana Schlossberg, the eldest child of Caroline Kennedy, died in December 2025.
Tatiana Schlossberg
Tatiana Schlossberg in 2019.

Amber De Vos/Getty Images

In a November 2025 essay for The New Yorker, Schlossberg revealed that she had been diagnosed with terminal acute myeloid leukemia. Doctors discovered the cancer shortly after she gave birth to her daughter in May 2024.

In the essay, Schlossberg reflected on the pain her diagnosis caused her family, writing that she had spent her life trying to protect her mother before facing a tragedy she could not prevent.

Schlossberg and her husband, George Moran, had two children: their daughter, Josephine Moran, born in May 2024, and their son, Edwin Garrett Moran, born in April 2022. He is the first great-grandchild of John F. Kennedy.

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced that Schlossberg died on December 30. She was 35.

Kyle Kennedy, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., died at the age of 42.
Kyle Kennedy
Robert Kennedy Jr., Ethel Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, and Kyle Kennedy attend the 2013 Ripple of Hope Awards Dinner.

Andrew Toth/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Kyle Francis Kennedy, the granddaughter of Robert and Ethel, and daughter of Michael Kennedy (who died in a 1997 skiing accident), died on September 21 at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts.

She spent much of her career in education, advocating for more equitable elementary education.

Though her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed as of October 21, she struggled with health issues over the past few years, including a severe spinal cord injury that left her with long-term paralysis and other serious health challenges, according to Kennedy's obituary.

After her injury, Kennedy continued her advocacy work by testifying before the Massachusetts State House about discrimination in healthcare against disabled individuals.

She is survived by her former husband, Liam Kerr, and their two sons, Conor, 12, and Declan, 10. Their daughter, Josephine, was a twin to Conor and died just days after she was born in 2014.

Even if some otherworldly force like a curse isn't at play, it's undeniable that the Kennedy family has suffered a long string of tragedies and heartbreak.
Brothers John, Robert, and Edward Kennedy pose for a photograph in 1960.
Brothers John, Robert, and Edward Kennedy in 1960.

Bettmann/Getty Images

In 2018, Edward Klein, who wrote a book about the Kennedy curse, defended his claim about the misfortune the Kennedy family experienced.

"I've looked high and low and cannot find another family since the ancient Greek House of Atreus that has suffered more calamities and misfortunes than the Kennedys," Klein, the author of "The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years," told The Washington Post.

"The humanity of their story is what keeps us engaged," Kennedy family biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli told NBC News in 2019. "We peer behind the scenes of their wealthy lifestyle, and we see, for all the advantages they have, tragedy can still happen."

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I spent $100 on dinner for 2 at LongHorn Steakhouse. I now understand why the chain is so successful.

longhorn steakhouse
LongHorn Steakhouse is outpacing many other casual-dining chains. After visiting for the first time, I can see why.

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

  • I recently visited LongHorn Steakhouse as the chain reports positive sales growth this year.
  • Many casual-dining chains are struggling, but LongHorn is performing surprisingly well.
  • I thought the food was high quality and a great value for the cost.

LongHorn Steakhouse is having a moment.

While many casual-dining chains continue to struggle, LongHorn has posted some of the strongest sales growth in Darden Restaurants' portfolio.

In the fiscal first quarter, which ended August 30, LongHorn same-store sales rose 6.2% from a year earlier, outpacing sister chain Olive Garden, whose same-store sales rose 1.1%. LongHorn's overall sales across all locations increased by nearly 11% to $861 million, making it Darden's fastest-growing major chain that quarter.

During the company's earnings call, CFO Raj Vennam said LongHorn's first-quarter sales growth reflected both stronger sales at existing restaurants and the expansion of its footprint. LongHorn grew from 595 to 624 restaurants over the past year.

LongHorn's success is not a recent comeback, but rather a steady rise to the top. In the preceding quarter, which ended May 31, LongHorn's same-store sales rose 9.5%, while total sales increased nearly 22% to more than $1 billion. Darden credited a record-breaking Mother's Day weekend and strong lamb-chop sales for the results.

The chain has now posted positive same-store sales for 22 consecutive quarters, and its sales at existing restaurants have climbed 17% over the past three years.

Still, it's a tough time for casual dining.

Applebee's same-store sales fell 1.8% year-over-year in its most recent quarter, while Cracker Barrel's sales at existing locations fell 2.1% and its total revenue declined 2.2%.

In an environment where chain restaurants are constantly competing for customers, I wanted to find out what about the Texas-inspired steakhouse chain was drawing people in.

I visited LongHorn for the first time and was surprised by the quality of the food, generous portions, and overall value for the price.

I tried LongHorn Steakhouse for the first time to see what the hype was about.
longhorn steakhouse

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

LongHorn Steakhouse has quietly become one of casual dining’s biggest success stories, and recently outpaced its sister brand, Olive Garden, in same-store sales growth.

I’d never been before, so I brought a friend along to our nearest location in Queens, New York, to see whether the food, atmosphere, and value lived up to the hype.

The restaurant felt much warmer and more polished than I expected.
longhorn steakhouse

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I expected a fairly standard chain-restaurant experience, but the entryway felt inviting right away.

The stone accents, dark wood, and low lighting gave it a cozy, classic steakhouse atmosphere. It was casual, but it did not feel cheap. I could see why it would potentially work for both casual weeknight dinners and slightly more special celebrations.

Despite visiting on a Friday night during the dinner rush, we were seated quickly in a booth at the busy shopping center location.

The dining room was busy, but it still felt comfortable and relaxed.
longhorn steakhouse

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The restaurant had plenty of tables, yet it did not feel overly crowded or chaotic. The warm lighting made the large dining room feel more intimate. It was definitely family-friendly, but couples and groups of friends were also dining there.

About halfway through our meal, one of the tables next to us broke into a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for a guest.

I also thought the vibe was much more polished than a typical casual chain. It was more on par with chains like Red Lobster than slightly more casual ones like Chili's or Applebee's.

The menu had a surprisingly broad selection beyond just steak and sides.
longhorn steakhouse menu

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

LongHorn’s menu is centered on steak, but there were plenty of chicken, seafood, salad, burger, and sandwich options, too.

Even though I went in wanting to understand the chain’s steakhouse appeal, there were enough tempting appetizers and sides that narrowing down our order was harder than I expected.

My friend and I started off with a round of cocktails.
longhorn steakhouse margarita

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A steakhouse dinner calls for a drink, and the classic "Perfect" margarita ($11.49) was a refreshing — and surprisingly inexpensive — way to start the meal.

It was ice-cold and citrusy, served in a generously sized glass with an extra shaker on the side. My friend ordered the Texas tea ($10.99), LongHorn's version of a Long Island iced tea, which she said was sweet and not too strong.

We were both impressed by the price and serving size of our drinks — they were on par with what we'd spend at a dive bar in Brooklyn, but with much better service and flavor.

The complimentary bread was a nice start to the meal.
longhorn steakhouse bread

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The bread arrived warm with a side of butter before our appetizers hit the table. It had a slightly sweet, honey-wheat flavor and a tender texture.

It was simple, and probably could have had a better crust — but it was free.

The stuffed mushrooms were one of the meal’s first real surprises.
longhorn steakhouse stuffed mushrooms

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

We ordered the white cheddar stuffed mushrooms ($12.29) as an appetizer, and they arrived bubbling hot in a rich, creamy four-cheese sauce that reminded us slightly of Alfredo pasta sauce.

The mushroom caps were tender without becoming soggy and had a slightly salty flavor.
longhorn steakhouse stuffed mushrooms

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The cheesy filling gave them a savory, indulgent flavor that made them feel like a true steakhouse starter.

It was the kind of appetizer that disappeared quickly, and one I'd definitely order again. I had to remind myself to save room for the rest of our food.

Around the same time as our appetizer, our server brought out my salad course.
longhorn steakhouse caesar salad

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The lettuce was crisp, the generous helping of croutons added good crunch, and the dressing had plenty of flavor. It was a classic steakhouse Caesar; it did exactly what it needed to do, but it wasn't anything mind-blowing.

It was also more than big enough to share with another person as a way to add something fresh before our richer entrées.

The ribeye steak and loaded baked potato made for a filling, indulgent entrée without an over-the-top price tag.
longhorn steakhouse ribeye and loaded potato

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

For my entrée, I ordered the ribeye steak ($30.79), which came with the aforementioned Caesar salad and one side. I chose the loaded baked potato, which came topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon, and green onions.

The steak arrived with a flavorful sear and a side that felt like a meal in itself. Together, the plate felt hearty and indulgent without being unnecessarily over-the-top. It was easy to see how a diner could leave feeling like they got their money’s worth.

The loaded baked potato was fluffy inside and piled high with toppings.
longhorn steakhouse loaded potato

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The potato was rich and comforting, with a soft, fluffy center, while the potato's outer shell was perfectly crispy.

I appreciated that LongHorn did not skimp on the toppings. It helped make the entrée feel more complete and substantial, without having to upgrade to a premium side.

The steak was surprisingly tender and well-seasoned.
longhorn steakhouse ribeye steak

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The steak had a savory, well-seasoned crust that added a lot of peppery flavor, but the true magic lay within.

Inside the tender ribeye, the meat was buttery and unbelievably juicy. It was not trying to be a high-end steakhouse steak, but it was extremely satisfying for the price. I ordered the steak medium-rare, and it came out at the right temperature.

This was the dish that made LongHorn’s popularity click for me.

Instead of ordering a main entrée, my friend ordered a side of roasted Brussels sprouts and the mac and cheese.
longhorn steakhouse brussels sprouts

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The crispy Brussels sprouts ($6.49) were roasted just enough to caramelize while still holding their shape and flavor.

The mac and cheese was a standout part of our meal.
longhorn steakhouse mac and cheese

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The steakhouse mac and cheese ($6.49) had a rich, creamy sauce and a browned topping that added texture, while bacon bits added even more savory, smoky flavor.

It was exactly the kind of comforting side I want with a steakhouse meal.
longhorn steakhouse mac and cheese

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

If you weren't ordering it as a main dish, the portion was also plenty large enough to share, especially alongside everything else we ordered.

I preferred this chain-restaurant mac and cheese to others I've tried.

By the end of dinner, I understood completely why LongHorn is winning over value-conscious diners.
longhorn steakhouse

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The food was more polished than I expected, the portions were generous, and the experience felt like a real sit-down dinner rather than a quick chain-restaurant meal after a day at the mall.

We ordered two drinks, an appetizer, a salad, a steak, and multiple hearty sides, yet our bill for two still came in under $100 before tip. With the tip, we paid $103.83.

By the time we left, I could see exactly why LongHorn has become a go-to for diners who want a steakhouse meal without steakhouse prices — and I'll definitely be back for more.

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