August 13 is International Left-Handers Day and the southpaws among us have an extra special reason to have lunch or dinner out on Monday. LongHorn Steakhouse is asking guests one important question: "Are you right-handed or left-handed?"
LongHorn Steakhouse steaks will come with a unique utensil for one day; the chain will offer custom steak knives that meet the needs of left-handed carnivores because left-handedness shouldn't affect your meal.
LongHorn Steakhouse
Fun fact: LongHorn president Todd Burrowes is a southpaw and so are a number of LongHorn's staff. These knives will be available at three restaurants that boast among the highest numbers of left-handed team members in the company.
If you're left-handed (or one of their right-handed counterparts who wants to be supportive) head to one of these participating LongHorn Steakhouse locations on Monday:
- 1470 East Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois
- 2400 Tyrone Boulevard North, St. Petersburg, Florida
- 110 Bluebird Lane, Millville, New Jersey
If you use your right hand predominately, you probably thought that utensils were designed to be used by anyone. However, that's not the case. Steak knives are typically designed for right-handed people with the serrated edge angled toward the right side of the knife's blade. When left-handed people use this knife, they're forced to cut with their non-dominant hand or sacrifice the quality of their bite by sawing through their steak with the dull edge of their knife.
The serrated edge of LongHorn's specially crafted left-handed knives are angled to the left, so left-handers can cut through their steak with their dominant hand and still get the highest-quality bite. This way, guests will have a top-notch steakhouse experience no matter how they slice it.
Lefthanders make up about 10 percent of the general population. There are notable names among the left-handed, including Americans Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, and Bill Gates. Famous International left-handers include British royal Prince William and Brazilian soccer player Pele.
There are also myths about people whose dominant hand is the left one. For example, there's a perception that left-handed people are "right-brained," meaning they primarily use the right brain hemisphere more, but research shows that right-handers and left-handers don't generally use their brains in different ways.
However, one of the stories about left-handedness seems to be true. Sports players that use their left hands more have an advantage over right-handed athletes. Both sets of players train mostly with right-handed people, so left-handed pitchers and batters can easily switch when they face another lefty. But right-handed pitchers, for example, facing a left-handed batter may not be as experienced in that situation.
It seems like it might be a good idea (a left-handed compliment even) for the steakhouse, and other restaurants, to offer these steak knives all the time. Maybe if enough people ask for it after Monday, LongHorn Steakhouse will keep the knives around.
