ORLANDO, Fla., July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- LongHorn Steakhouse announces today the launch of the LongHorn Grill Us Hotline, where the restaurant's certified Grill Masters will be on hand to answer consumers' burning questions and help take the heat off cook-out preparation this upcoming holiday weekend.  From choosing the best, freshest cut of steak, to achieving the correct grill temperature and using proper seasoning techniques, LongHorn's experts are on hand to help.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130702/FL39942)

Grilling happens to be one of America's favorite pastimes. In fact, 87 percent of American households have outdoor grills*. And, no holiday is more synonymous with grilling than July 4 with nearly 890 million pounds of chicken, red meat and pork purchased the week leading up to the holiday*. But, for those doing the cooking for family and friends, manning the grilling can be an intimidating process.  Enter LongHorn's Grill Us Hotline.

"Not only has LongHorn been expertly grilling fresh, never frozen, steaks, chicken and fish in our restaurants for more than 30 years, we serve approximately 650,000 steaks every week, which means we know a thing or two about grilling," said John Fadool, head of marketing for LongHorn. "Grilling can be tricky and require skill, so we're ready for anyone stepping up to a grill this holiday weekend to call and grill us."

The Hotline
Twenty-five Grill Masters, who work every day in LongHorn restaurants, will provide grilling tips and tricks on the hotline from July 3 through 6 during the hours of 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT each day.

The Hotline is accessible via phone, text and Facebook:

• Phone: Dial 1-855-LH-GRILL (1-855-544-7455) to be connected to a Grill Master
• Text: Text LHGRILL to 40679 and a LongHorn operator will call and connect users to a Grill Master (standard texting rates apply)
• Facebook: Post a question to LongHorn's Facebook wall at www.facebook.com/longhornsteakhouse, and our experts will answer it in real time. Add the hash tag #LHGRILL to follow the conversation and view others' questions.

July is also National Grilling Month, so after the holiday weekend, grill enthusiasts can continue to post questions to Facebook every Saturday (July 13, 20 and 27) from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT each day.

The Grill Masters
Every LongHorn restaurant features two to three Grill Masters who freshly prepare every piece of steak, chicken and fish.  To become a Grill Master, LongHorn provides extensive on-the-job training to ensure team members are experts at understanding how to prepare the correct cut of steak, know the appropriate amount of seasoning to apply and consistently grill steak to the right degree of doneness.

For those who'd rather put down their tongs this holiday weekend, the over 430 LongHorn Steakhouses across the country will be open and ready to grill up the perfect steak.  To find a location visit, www.longhornsteakhouse.com.

ABOUT LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE
Known for a passion for grilling fresh, tender, juicy steaks, LongHorn Steakhouse provides guests with a cut above steakhouse dining experience. Unlike other steakhouses, LongHorn offers the widest variety of cuts and numerous preparations, including its signature bone-in Outlaw Ribeye – all served in a relaxed, warm atmosphere inspired by a rancher's home. A growing brand, LongHorn plans to open more than 40 new locations over the next year, bringing our total to over 430 restaurants across 38 states. LongHorn is a division of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI), the world's largest full-service restaurant operating company. In 2013, Darden was named to the FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for the third year in a row and is the only full-service restaurant company to ever appear on the list. LongHorn is committed to making a difference in the lives of others in the local community. As part of this commitment, all LongHorn restaurants participate in the Darden Harvest program, which has donated more than 60 million pounds of food to local community food banks across the country.

*Verified by CNN, The Herald Tribune, US Census Bureau; 2012 data

SOURCE LongHorn Steakhouse