We can afford to go to high-end restaurants, but we swear by taking our family to steakhouse chains instead

• My family enjoys going to steakhouse chains. In many ways, they're better than stand-alone spots.
• With chains, we know what to expect, which is especially great when we're traveling.
• I've had steaks at chains that were as good as ones from high-end restaurants.

Steakhouses are one of my husband and I's favorite places to get an extravagant dinner.

As our kids have gotten older, we've brought them along to enjoy steak dinners with us in exciting locales or as part of birthday celebrations.

Even so, our recent visits to steakhouse chains have felt like the best value for our family of four.

Although we could afford to take our teens to higher-end, independently owned steakhouses, I think we get more bang for our buck at chains like The Capital Grille or Outback Steakhouse.

Here's why steakhouse chains have become some of my family's go-to places to dine out.

Knowing which chains my kids love makes grabbing dinner a breeze — especially if we're traveling

Chains aim to deliver consistent experiences, which is especially great for picky eaters and families with kids.

At chains, my teens know what to expect and look forward to it, which can minimize stress in a new place. Plus, we know they'll actually eat what they ordered if they've had it before and enjoyed it.

The first time we visited LongHorn Steakhouse was on a weekend trip to Orlando, and we've returned to other locations and had similarly positive experiences while traveling to California and Pennsylvania.

Since our first time trying Outback Steakhouse, we've gone to its locations in different cities and on various occasions for consistently good meals.

We still like to support small businesses and have our kids try unique, local cuisines when we travel, but sometimes our family is "hangry" and just needs a familiar meal.

If we're going to spend a lot on a special dinner, it's nice to know exactly what we can expect

I like knowing the quality and experience I can expect when returning to a chain again and again, especially when a meal is expensive.

Although trying new restaurants with my husband is fun, it's satisfying to know we can expect our $460 dinner at The Capital Grille to be the same whether we're in Baltimore or Orlando.

Since my family of four had an incredible $500 meal when we visited Ruth's Chris on Mother's Day weekend, I'd also confidently go to any of the chain's locations for any holiday celebration.

My family still talks about our meal there, and I know the level of quality and value I can expect for my money.

Really, steakhouse food is pretty similar everywhere

I've had meals at well-known stand-alone steakhouses in cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles — although each was delicious, there are only so many ways to cook a steak or bake a potato.

Most of my dinners at chain steakhouses have impressed me just as much. One standout is The Capital Grille. Our experience there was on par with the ones I've had at some of the highest-of-high-end steakhouses.

In many ways, chains just make it easy for our family to have a nice dinner

It's nice to go somewhere reliable when we're looking to have a nice meal, which is easy to do when most of our favorite steakhouse chains are fairly accessible across the US

The meals we've had so far have been delicious, and our experiences have remained consistent.

Our teens are still learning what they want out of a dining-out experience, and I like that chains allow them to figure that out while having consistent, clear expectations.

For now, we'll continue going to steakhouse chains when we have extra money to spend on a reliably tasty meal.