Texas Roadhouse Ranger Meals Vs Kid's Meals: What's The Actual Difference
Texas Roadhouse has long been lauded for its family-friendly appeal. At this steakhouse chain, kids of all ages can get exactly what they want at a price to match. The non-adult portion of the menu has two dedicated sections — one for kids' meals and one for Ranger Meals — both of which are marketed at children 12 and under. Ranger Meals, however, are tailored toward pre-teens and kiddos with slightly larger appetites, whereas Texas Roadhouse kids' meals are smaller in portion and meant for younger patrons. Although, depending on the policy at which restaurant location you visit, adults may be allowed to order off of the Ranger menu, too. One Reddit thread depicts a photo of an apparent adult ordering the Ranger Meal Chicken Critters at a restaurant.
The Ranger menu lies somewhere between the portion sizes of the kids' menu and the full-sized entrees off of the regular menu. However, the Ranger menu is by far the most limited of the trio. Along with the Chicken Critters Basket, the Ranger Meal menu also offers an Andy's Steak dinner (a small cut of sirloin with one choice of side and a drink for $11.99) and a Ranger Rib Basket (a small portion of barbecued ribs with one choice of side and a drink for $12.99, which is much cheaper than the ½ slab of ribs with two sides and no drink for $19.99). That's the extent of the selections. As such, it can be a good choice for folks craving ribs or tenders.
Ranger Meals are for kiddos with slightly larger appetites, and potentially grown-ups, too
At a Texas Roadhouse location in Ohio, the Ranger Meal Chicken Critters Basket with a side, two sauces, and a drink costs $10.99. By comparison, the Jr. Chicken Tenders on the Kids' Menu (which comes with the same accompaniments) costs $7.49, indicating a smaller portion size. Indeed, a quick browse of the offerings listed on the Kids' Menu reveals (aptly) child-sized portions of popular Texas Roadhouse menu items, such as the side-dish-sized cup of mac and cheese with a handful of fries that constitutes the Macaroni and Cheese kids' dinner. Still, if you aren't hungry enough to commit to the regular, adult-sized Chicken Critters basket, which comes with two sides and two sauces but no drink ($15.49), venturing into these reduced-portion menu offshoots might be the money-saving move, if your location allows it. To put a grown-up twist on your dinner, you could even order that Ranger Meal with a Midnight Sour — our favorite Texas Roadhouse cocktail here at Tasting Table.
Getting takeout from this family-friendly chain offers its own unique perks, especially if you're ordering off the Rangers or kids' menus. Another grown-up poster shared a photo of their takeout order: "Texas Roadhouse. I ordered a kids' entree so it'd be cheap. It was all $9.27," they said. The meal came with the kids' hot dog topped with chili and cheddar cheese, fries, a small cup of mashed potatoes, and (arguably the economic pièce de résistance) a box of six rolls and two containers of that iconic cinnamon honey butter. Ordering takeout instead of dine-in can be a solid strategy for bypassing any potential age restriction rules while still securing the chain's customary unlimited rolls. Talk about a menu hack.