Olive Garden, the Florida-based Italian chain founded in 1982, has come out on top of a new survey measuring which casual dining restaurants Americans are most likely to visit next — though the results split sharply by generation.
YouGov’s U.S. restaurant brand rankings surveyed 7,500 adults ages 65 and older, asking which casual dining chain they would consider visiting. Olive Garden was the clear winner among that group, with 33.8% naming it their top pick. That put it ahead of Texas Roadhouse (28.2%), Applebee’s (24.7%), Cracker Barrel (24%) and Outback Steakhouse (22.1%).
Olive Garden’s lead wasn’t limited to older diners. The YouGov data showed it was also the most considered casual dining brand among Gen X and millennials, including the 30–44 and 45–64 age brackets.
Gen Z broke from that pattern. Among adults ages 18–29, Chili’s narrowly edged out Olive Garden, taking 29.6% of responses compared with Olive Garden’s 28.7%.
Beyond the visitation rankings, Olive Garden was also rated the top brand overall for service (12.8%) and dining experience (12.1%) among all Americans surveyed.
Chad Moutray, chief economist for the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association, said the results reflect how selective diners have become.
“In an environment where consumers are increasingly selective about how they spend their hard-earned dollars, quality, hospitality and the overall dining experience play a critical role in where they choose to eat.”
A separate analysis, Morning Consult’s Most Trusted Brands report of 2026, found Olive Garden performs strongly across several categories beyond older diners, including family outings, avoiding cooking at home, and satisfying specific food cravings. The report also concluded Olive Garden has the broadest emotional resonance of any brand in its category.
“More people think of Olive Garden — and feel good about it — than any competitor.”
According to Morning Consult, Olive Garden leads the casual dining category for going out with family (40%), not wanting to cook (37%) and generous portions (32%).
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Olive Garden for comment.
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