The Ultimate Ranking Of Chain Restaurant Meatloaf

When done well, meatloaf is one of America's most classic comfort foods. When done poorly, however, it is an ordeal to eat. This is because meatloaf has a tendency to become a dry, dense brick if prepared improperly. As a result, the quality of meatloaves sold in the nation's chain restaurants varies enormously. In this article, we highlight the entire range, revealing which chain restaurant meatloaves are worth eating and, just as importantly, which are best avoided.

While often viewed as a dated food, meatloaf has been a consistent feature on chain restaurant menus throughout the 21st century. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, it is a dish that, by its nature, is cheap to make and easy to adapt. Secondly, it is an extremely familiar dish which many people feel nostalgic for. Finally, it is a comforting dish — the type of food people often want to order when visiting chain restaurants.

We scoured the web for customer reviews to base the following ranking on. These include reviews uploaded to several different sites such as YouTube and Reddit. Full details of our methodology can be found at the end of the article. Until then, let's see which chain restaurant meatloaves are worth the space on your plate.

Cracker Barrel's take on meatloaf is a classic, featuring tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. It is offered as one of Cracker Barrel's weekday specials as well as a weekend main. Regardless of when it's ordered, customers often liken this meatloaf to those made by their grandparents. One person wrote on Reddit, "I just went to a Cracker Barrel for the first time in my life and ... their meatloaf was like what my grandma used to make. Gets my vote. Yeah, it's a national chain, so what."

Interestingly, there are many other reviews that stand in direct contrast to this ringing endorsement. One of these comes from Keith Habersberger, presenter and co-founder of The Try Guys. In a video posted to YouTube, Habersberger slams the meatloaf, comparing its texture to that of raw ground meat. He also states that the meatloaf's taste is pretty awful. Haberberger's co-star for this portion of the video, Becky Habersberger, even goes as far as labeling Cracker Barrel's meatloaf the worst meatloaf she has ever tasted. With reviews like that, we had little choice but to place Cracker Barrel's meatloaf at the bottom of our list.

Logan's Roadhouse prides itself on serving no-nonsense food. The chain's grilled meatloaf exemplifies this. It is a hearty portion that's served alongside "brewski" onions, mushrooms, mashed potatoes, and brown gravy. As the dish's name suggests, the meatloaf itself is grilled. While lending the meatloaf a nice flavor and crisp crust, grilling does cause Logan's Roadhouse's meatloaf to be drier than those served by other chain restaurants.

Despite the dryness, some customers think Logan's Roadhouse's meatloaf is better than some sold by other chain restaurants. One customer wrote on Reddit, "As far as chains go, Logan's has a grilled meatloaf that's very solid." Positive reviews such as these likely stem from the flavorful nature of the meatloaf's accompaniments and the generous portion size. That being said, a dry meatloaf is nobody's idea of a great meatloaf, hence why Logan's Roadhouse's meatloaf ranks towards the bottom of our list.

Perkins' meatloaf is a dish that makes the most of its accompaniments. A robust serving of meatloaf is covered in a pool of indulgent beef gravy before being topped with crisp onion rings. What's more, the entire thing is served atop a bed of mashed potatoes which invariably soak up a great deal of both the gravy and the meatloaf's flavor. The sweet glaze that coats the meatloaf also adds a lot of intense taste. This ensures that every mouthful of the dish is a vivid one, even if a customer runs out of gravy.

It is important to point out that while solid, Perkins' meatloaf is by no means exceptional. What's more, some customers have complained about Perkins' inconsistent execution of the dish and have said they felt extremely disappointed both during and after eating it. This is a real shame as, when it's executed well, Perkins meatloaf is far superior to meatloaves served by many other chain restaurants.

The two most enduring criticisms leveled at chain restaurant meatloaves is that they are dry and dense. Thankfully, this is not the case at Golden Corral, a restaurant chain that serves meatloaf as part of both its lunch and dinner buffet menus. This meatloaf has been met with a number of positive reviews. Many of them focus on the meatloaf's strong points, most notably its tender, moist texture. These characteristics are especially impressive given that Golden Corral's meatloaf is literally left out for significant lengths of time for customers to help themselves.

People also enjoy Golden Corral's meatloaf because of its flavor. A sweet note is provided by the tomato glaze that coats the meatloaf's exterior. When combined with its succulent texture, this flavor leads us to the surprising conclusion that Golden Corral's meatloaf is better than the meatloaves sold by Perkins, Logan's Roadhouse, and Cracker Barrel, despite it being made in bulk and left out as part of the buffet. 

Marie Callender's is one of the few chain restaurants that provides information regarding the meat used to make its meatloaf. In this instance, Marie Callender's confirms that its meatloaf is made from 100% Angus beef, a breed that is claimed to produce meat with superior amounts of marbling. This beef is slow baked alongside onions, green peppers, carrots, and seasoning to produce the chain's meatloaf. It is served with mushroom cabernet gravy — a unique detail among entries on this list — mashed potatoes, and seasonal vegetables.

Given these ingredients and accompaniments, it's little surprise that customers have noted how flavorful Marie Callender's meatloaf is. Naturally, this is one of the enduring appeals of the meatloaf and probably contributed to Marie Callender's decision to launch a frozen version of the dish. Unfortunately, this frozen version is a store-bought meatloaf that's best avoided. But this does not take away from the fact that the restaurant version is a solid option that's more than earned its spot in the middle portion of our ranking.

Boston Market's meatloaf is made with beef, onions, tomato puree, and toasted breadcrumbs. These ingredients, along with an abundance of seasonings, give this meatloaf an intense savory flavor that's offset by the thick, hickory-smoked barbecue sauce which coats it. The resulting dish is rich and satisfying without being dense. In other words, it's a very good chain restaurant meatloaf.

While many customers celebrate the flavor of Boston Market's meatloaf, one complaint is that the meat-to-breadcrumb ratio is slightly off. According to these individuals, the meatloaf is too heavy on the bread. Aside from compromising the dish's texture, the overabundance of bread also makes these customers feel as if they are getting a poor deal. That being said, this is not an overly common complaint; most customers feel like Boston Market's meatloaf is a dependable option, hence its position in the middle of our ranking.

The majority of chains mentioned in this article make their meatloaf from beef alone. This is a shame: Adding other ingredients, like pork, adds a great deal of flavor to a meatloaf, as celebrities like Andrew Zimmern are quick to point out. Black Bear Diner has taken this advice to heart and incorporates two types of meat into its homemade meatloaf: ground beef and seasoned sausage.

Using fatty meats, such as sausage meat, alongside beef has been shown to improve both the flavor and texture of the finished meatloaf. The former becomes richer and more intense while the latter becomes somewhat softer and less dry. This is evidenced in Black Bear Diner's meatloaf, which is a delight to eat. Unsurprisingly, Black Bear Diner's meatloaf gets a lot of love online. Customers frequently celebrate its delicious flavor and the fact that it's served in very large portions. A further bonus: The meatloaf is made in-house every day.

To round out the dish, Black Bear Diner serves its meatloaf with both beef gravy and onion rings. These flavorful accompaniments are great additions to the meatloaf, adding moisture, flavor, and textural contrast. All in all, this is a dish worth checking out.

The Cheesecake Factory is known for its gigantic menu, which spans – and sometimes bends — multiple cuisines. Despite this, it still finds space for American classics, including meatloaf. As with all dishes from The Cheesecake Factory, this dish comes in a generous portion. Three slabs of meatloaf are served alongside mashed potatoes, grilled onions, and buttered corn. All of these accompaniments are doused with an ample amount of mushroom gravy.

The meatloaf itself presents both good, meaty flavor and enjoyable texture. In fact, The Cheesecake Factory's meatloaf is so good that it has even converted meatloaf skeptics into avid fans. One customer wrote on Reddit, "I've never been much of a fan of meatloaf, but I tried this and it was so good. It didn't have the disgusting ketchup topping and wasn't too dry. A little on the sweet side." Thanks to reviews such as this, The Cheesecake Factory's meatloaf is ranked in the upper portion of our list.

Claim Jumper is a small chain of restaurants that prides itself on serving indulgent comfort food. The chain's meatloaf epitomizes this thanks to its rich flavor and no-nonsense portions. A great deal of the aforementioned flavor comes from Claim Jumper's decision to make the meatloaf with both beef and pork; customers have noted that they can really taste the pork in the mixture. Although slightly disconcerting for those who've only ever eaten beef meatloaf, this mixture ensures Claim Jumper's meatloaf stands out when compared to those sold by other chain restaurants.

Another key facet of Claim Jumper's meatloaf is the herb gravy. This gravy elevates all aspects of the meal with its punchy flavor and makes up for the decidedly thin layer of tomato sauce that coats the meatloaf. Finally, Claim Jumper's meatloaf comes in a very generous portion, meaning this all-around excellent meal will likely produce leftovers that can be used to make all manner of exciting dishes, including meatloaf sliders.

In  quite a bold decision, Outback Steakhouse breaks with tradition by serving a spicy meatloaf. The Spicy Jammin' Meatloaf lives up to its name, packing quite a punch. It's seasoned and seared to develop a nice, browned crust. It's then topped with both peppercorn sauce and a spicy Fresno chile jam which is responsible for the dish's kick.

Thanks to these sauces, Outback Steakhouse's meatloaf is surprisingly multifaceted. Upon eating, it presents both sweetness and spice, as well as a savory, meaty undertone. The overall effect is very impressive. This dish is so good that it often catches customers off guard, surprising them with its quality.

Unfortunately, some customers have shared video evidence of them being served severely overcooked meatloaf at Outback Steakhouse restaurants. This is a real shame, as it destroys what would otherwise have been a very unique meatloaf experience. Plenty of other diners haven't encountered this problem, however, which means taking a chance on this attention-grabbing meatloaf is still probably worth it.

The best and most luxurious meatloaf served by a chain restaurant is Steak 48's. Unlike any other meatloaf mentioned in this article, Steak 48's contains three different types of meat: ribeye, filet mignon, and pork. The flavors of these different meats are further enhanced by the addition of a black truffle and green peppercorn sauce. Unsurprisingly, the flavor of this meatloaf is unlike any other. It is decadent, rich, and incredibly nuanced.

Reviews of this meatloaf are overwhelmingly positive, with several customers describing it as the best meatloaf they've ever had. What's more, Steak 48 also has a reputation for executing dishes at a consistently high level across all of its locations. This means that customers are extremely unlikely to receive an overcooked or subpar meatloaf, as is sometimes the case when ordering from chain restaurants. For these reasons, Steak 48's meatloaf is clearly the best chain restaurant meatloaf available in the United States.

We based our ranking of chain restaurant meatloaf on customer reviews sourced from websites including YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit. These reviews were posted by a host of people, including amateur and professional reviewers. Several aspects of the meatloaf were taken into account when deciding on the ranking. These included the dish's overall flavor, its texture, and how generous the portion size was. The price of a dish and its nutritional value did not influence the ranking.