There’s something incredibly nostalgic about the chain restaurant. A beacon of the ‘90s and early 2000s, eateries like Applebee’s, TGI Fridays, and Chili’s enjoyed quite the heyday with many expanding to hundreds or even thousands of locations at the start of the 21st century. As the years went on and consumer preferences changed, the chain restaurant started losing its allure, with some even forced to declare bankruptcy. For a select few chains, though, they haven’t just held on — they’ve completely reinvigorated consumer interest. And one of the ways they’ve been able to do so is with an attractive and affordable beverage program.
But not every chain restaurant has a beverage menu that knocks it out of the park, so we decided to see how some of the most popular stack up against one another. Considering beer and wine selections tend to remain fairly consistent across the board — think American macrolagers and mass-market wines — we solely focused on each chain’s cocktail menu. While some are expansive and made almost exclusively with premium spirits, others shocked us with the sheer amount of sugar-soaked drinks listed.
Curious to see where your preferred chain falls in the ranking? Check out 10 of the most popular chain restaurants, ranked by their beverage programs, below.
10. Red Robin
Red Robin is a chain known for its burgers and bottomless steak fries, which are hopefully a bit better than their cocktail selection. The restaurant offers 15 specialty drinks, with classics like a Mojito, a house Margarita, and an Old Fashioned that appear to be pretty standard. Outside of those, there is one flavor defining the cocktail menu at Red Robin: sweet. For example, there’s the Sand In Your Shorts made with vodka, peach schnapps, triple sec, orange juice, cranberry juice, raspberry, and what the restaurant calls “all-natural sweet and sour.” That same sweet and sour appears in the Metropolitan, a drink made with Grey Goose, triple sec, raspberry, and lime that the restaurant describes as its take on the Cosmo. Perhaps the most egregious creation on the menu, however, is the vibrant turquoise Tito’s Blue Chill, featuring Tito’s, blue curaçao, pineapple juice, club soda, and the aforementioned sweet and sour mix. It might be tolerable on its own, but then it’s garnished with a heaping pile of whipped cream and a cherry.
9. Olive Garden
First opened in Orlando, Fla., in 1982, Olive Garden is the country’s largest full-service Italian chain restaurant. But unlike other chains, Olive Garden has never been known for its cocktails. Instead, it serves what it refers to as “classic drinks with an Italian twist,” which, in most cases, simply means that Amaretto has been added to the build. Take the Italian Margarita for example, which features Jose Cuervo silver, triple sec, Margarita mix, and a shot of Amaretto on the side that’s intended to be used as a float. It’s a similar situation for the Italian Rum Punch, which sees Amaretto join forces with Bacardí silver and strawberry-passion fruit juice. There’s also a Strawberry Limoncello Margarita, featuring the sweet Italian liqueur, an Amaretto Sour, a Spiked Strawberry Lemonade, and the Blue Capri — a combination of coconut rum, blue curaçao, and pineapple juice. While there’s nothing overly offensive about Olive Garden’s cocktail selections (unless, of course, Amaretto offends you), we’d prefer our classics in their true classic form.
8. Red Lobster
Last year, Red Lobster famously made headlines for the endless shrimp deal that may or may not have pushed it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Despite the bankruptcy filing, though, Red Lobster still operates over 500 locations in the U.S. and Canada, where guests can enjoy an interesting selection of cocktails alongside their Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
There are classic offerings like an Old Fashioned made with the guest’s choice of rye or bourbon, and a standard Mojito. But instead of a bunch of different Margaritas, Red Lobster offers a customizable Margarita experience. All Margaritas begin with Sauza gold, but guests can choose between rocks or frozen, a selection of flavors, and they even have the option to add a sidecar of Cointreau or Grand Marnier. To pair with the seafood on offer, Red Lobster lists a Shrimp Caesar and Lobster Caesar made with Smirnoff Vodka and Mott’s Clamato. There’s also a large selection of frozen cocktails made with Malibu or Captain Morgan, all of which are fine if you’re not looking for more premium offerings.
7. TGI Fridays
Founded in Manhattan in 1965, TGI Fridays was originally a bar for singles, and its OG bar program was no joke. Bartenders had to memorize over 400 cocktail recipes and pass an exam to even be allowed behind the stick. By the 1970s, the restaurant had franchised and expanded into a chain. Over the next few decades, its bar program was diluted from the trend-setting creations they were once pushing out to the overly sugary drinks that define TGI Fridays today. Declining interest in the chain forced the restaurant to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024 and shrink to just 85 locations nationwide — a far cry from the over 600 it operated at its peak.
Today, TGI Fridays has attempted to reinvigorate consumer interest by launching the “Power Pours” menu, which includes seven “strong” cocktails made with 2-ounce pours. Launched in the spring of 2025, they each feature a high-quality spirit at its base, but a number of other ingredients that might lose cocktail enthusiasts. The Turbo Toro, for example, is made with Patrón silver and features blue Curaçao, passion fruit, lime juice, and Red Bull Tropical.
6. Outback Steakhouse
Founded in 1988 by four Americans who had seen “Crocodile Dundee” but never actually visited Australia, Outback Steakhouse operates over 1,000 locations worldwide, over 650 of which are in the U.S. While the restaurant is certainly more known for dishes like the Bloomin’ Onion, the cocktail program shouldn’t be written off entirely. There are eight specialty drinks listed on the menu, and naturally, half are Margaritas. There’s the Strawberry Kiwi Rita made with Lunazul, the Sauza Gold Coast Rita that can come with an extra shot of both Cointreau and Sauza, and the Top Shelf Rita featuring Patrón, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, and citrus juice. Can’t decide? Grab the Boomarita flight that comes with four Margaritas — house, blackberry, mango, and watermelon — all made with Sauza.
There’s an interesting Smoked Cinnamon Pecan Old Fashioned incorporating Woodford Reserve bourbon, Angostura bitters, and oak-smoked, house-infused cinnamon pecan syrup. And while somewhat intriguing, the menu loses us with the Wallaby Darned, a frozen combination of Svedka vodka, peach schnapps, Prosecco, and peaches. Outback does win a few points in its favor with a selection of to-go cocktails, all of which come packaged in branded Mason jars and are intended to share.
5. Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill
For decades, Applebee’s was the largest full-service chain restaurant in the United States, but in recent years, other chains like Chili’s and Texas Roadhouse have bumped it from the top spot. And we can’t help but think the dissolution of its Dollarita program is to blame. First introduced in 2017, the Dollarita quickly became a staple of the Neighborhood Bar & Grill, kickstarting the restaurant’s $1 Drink of the Month Program. Sadly, the promotion took a hiatus in 2020 during Covid-era lockdowns and has only been sporadically reintroduced. In its place now lives the Mucho Sips program, which originally bumped the price of drinks to $5, but has since been increased to $6.
These cocktails, served in larger formats than standard cocktails, rotate seasonally and have included things like Summertime Sips or Smoocho Sips themes around Valentine’s Day. The chain is currently running its NFL Sips as a part of the series, which includes a Captain Morgan-spiked Rummin’ Back Daq and the Juicy Sweep Sangria made with Smirnoff Vodka and Barefoot Moscato. We can’t say either sounds particularly enticing, but we’d take a Dollarita if it made another comeback.
4. The Cheesecake Factory
It wouldn’t be a trip to The Cheesecake Factory without a dizzying journey through the chain’s miles-long menu. And in true Cheesecake Factory form, the drinks list is gigantic, with over 25 specialty cocktails listed in addition to a decent selection of mocktails and zero-proof specialty sodas. While some offerings might be too sweet for our palates, like the Raspberry Lemon Drop or J.W.’s Pink Lemonade, others are actually relatively enticing. The Ultimate Margarita is a Tommy’s made with Olmeca Altos Plata, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, fresh lime, and agave nectar. Most of the cocktails at the Cheesecake Factory are made with premium spirits including Grey Goose, Reyka Small Batch, Mt. Gay Rum, and Toki Japanese Whisky. And they probably should be — the Cheesecake Factory is notoriously one of the most expensive chain restaurants in the U.S.
3. Buffalo Wild Wings
First opened in 1982, Buffalo Wild Wings has skyrocketed to success in the past decade as a preferred sports bar for many Americans. The chain is obviously known for its wings — a concept so successful that it launched the offshoot BWW GO for to-go orders only in 2020 to continue serving customers during Covid lockdowns. For those who dine in, though, they have access to a pretty robust beverage program. Of course, there’s the 30-plus beer taps present at most locations, but there’s also a cocktail menu that’s pretty bang on with consumer preferences right now.
There are standard offerings like the Platinum Margarita, the Classic Mojito, and the Tito’s Mule, but there are also riffs like the Mango Habanero and Spicy Passion Fruit Margaritas that hit the juicy and spicy flavor profiles consumers can’t get enough of right now. For spice lovers, there’s also a specialty Bloody Mary made with the restaurant’s signature Bloody Mary Mix and served with its Desert Heat dry seasoning blend on the rim.
2. Texas Roadhouse
In a world where most chain restaurants are struggling to stay afloat, Texas Roadhouse is a stunning exception. In 2024, the chain increased sales by almost 15 percent to hit $5.5 billion, earning it the title of America’s largest casual-dining chain. Likely helping bolster those sales is the restaurant’s sweeping cocktail menu that features 18 specialty cocktails. Of those, seven are Margaritas, with the Legendary Margarita serving as the most popular of the bunch. The Margarita is made with three types of tequila — Patrón Silver, Reposado, and Añejo — along with Grand Marnier, the restaurant’s sour mix, and black lava salt. There are more classic interpretations like House Rocks or Frozen and fruity riffs, too, but also a Sangria Margarita and a Hurricane Margarita made with Captain Morgan Spiced.
Outside of Margaritas, Texas Roadhouse offers 11 specialty cocktails, including three versions of a Long Island Iced Tea. There’s also a Texas Peach Fuzz on the menu, which we can only assume tastes strikingly similar to the Fuzzy Navels we needed to stay in the 1980s. Peach schnapps appear in two other house creations — the Island Cooler and the Jamaican Cowboy — and the Old Fashioned is reportedly made with house Old Fashioned mix. We’re not entirely sure what that means, but we know it probably can’t be anything good. We’ll certainly take a Legendary Margarita, though.
1. Chili’s
Aside from its viral appetizers, there is one main thing Chili’s is known for: its Margaritas. But unlike the $1 deals that skyrocketed Applebee’s Margs into the cultural zeitgeist, Chili’s is famous for the sheer amount of agave soaked cocktails it sells. In 2024, the chain sold a whopping 25 million Margaritas, or roughly 15,000 sold per location last year. In fact, the restaurant group purchases so much tequila that if it were a country, it would be the third-largest buyer of the spirit, according to CEO Kevin Hochman. Every month, Chili’s launches a brand- new Margarita as a part of its Margarita of the Month promotion. This past month, that Margarita was the Shark Attack Marg made with El Jimador blanco, Monin Blue Raspberry, house-made sour mix, and soda water.
Beyond the Margarita of the Month, Chili’s also offers permanent selections like the El Niño Marg, Skinny Marg, and Spice-a-Rita, along with several premium pours like Margaritas made with Don Julio, Patrón, and Casamigos. The chain also allows guests to customize their Margarita orders, letting them to choose their base tequila, orange liqueur, fruit flavor, and their preferred rim. This past June, Chili’s took its Margarita game to the next level with a collaboration with Patrón that introduced three brand-new frozen Margaritas. Don’t have time to dine in? You can also buy Margaritas to go — they even come in gallon size. Outside of Margaritas, Chili’s also shakes up Espresso Martinis, Old Fashioneds, Long Island Iced Teas, and more, with several celebrities joining in on the promotion.
