Why Some Customers Say Texas Roadhouse's Food Quality Isn't What It Used To Be

If you've sat down for a meal at Texas Roadhouse recently, only to walk away feeling like the food isn't what it used to be, you aren't alone. Far from it, in fact. Discerning diners have taken to the Internet to sound off their testimonials, sharing dining experiences that range from disappointing to totally unappetizing. Even worse than the infamously long wait times to get a table — one of the worst things about Texas Roadhouse, according to customers — is the chain's inconsistent food quality.

More specifically, many customers claim that some Texas Roadhouse dishes have gotten worse in recent years. One dish that is especially disheartening, considering it's the epicenter of the chain's menu, is the steaks. One viral TikTok with over 673,000 likes is a video of a to-go steak from Texas Roadhouse, that (instead of meat) is a weirdly liquefied, semi-solid paste, which the poster likens to "mashed potatoes or pâté." The post's over-43,000 comments postulate that the steak has an abscess — great quality control, T.R. Other patrons noted excess gristle on the New York strip steak, and even Texas Roadhouse employees advised skipping the porterhouse T-bone (it isn't hand-cut as advertised). Still, those iconic, warm bread rolls with honey-cinnamon butter are a Texas Roadhouse menu item that's hard to beat ... or, at least, they were.

Local Oklahoma radio station Z94 reported that multiple patrons noted that the rolls seem tougher and less flavorful in recent years than in fans' memories. Customers suspected lower quality control (that is, sitting out under the heat lamp for a long time), among various other cost-cutting tactics, impacted the food. Although it's worth noting that Texas Roadhouse raised its menu prices a whopping four times between 2023 and 2024. If inflation-induced higher operating costs are getting passed off onto customers anyway, then those rolls should taste as good as they used to. 

Elsewhere online, a Reddit thread read, "The bread rolls at Texas Roadhouse aren't as good as they used to be. Why doesn't anyone talk about this?" Here too, the thread's comments section is filled with similarly disgruntled customer testimonials: "Yes! Different and disappointing. [T]heir rolls have NOT been the same since early 2020," and "You are right. Other than the steak, the rolls were awesome. Now they are both subpar at best." 

So, the steak entrees are out, and the appetizer rolls are out ... are the side dishes still safe? No! Another viral Reddit thread with 24,000 upvotes shared a photo of undressed elbow pasta topped with a mound of gelatinous, pale cheese sauce. The poster wrote, "At Texas Roadhouse, I ordered Mac and Cheese. The server said it was scratch made. It was still cold. She said 'that's how they make it now.'" The top comment (with thousands of upvotes) expounded, "My waitress told me not to order it and I took her word for it. Now I know why." Other posts reflect similar experiences: "I was at Texas Roadhouse and I ordered mac n' cheese to the side of my burger. The Mac was so bad, the elbows were undercooked and it tasted like somebody slapped a slice of Kraft singles American cheese on the undercooked elbows and microwaved it." 

Beyond tepid, raw mac, patrons share experiences of allergic reactions despite sharing their allergies with their servers. While (admittedly) Texas Roadhouse may not be expressly known for staunch cross-contamination avoidance, carelessness to expressly-stated allergens could reflect a larger lack of attention to detail surrounding the plates that hit the table. We're also avoiding Texas Roadhouse's cheese fries and the pulled pork entree – and advise that fellow foodies do the same on their next Texas Roadhouse visit, however far off that visit may be in light of the chain's glaring quality control issues.