Why Texas Roadhouse Should Add This Classic Southern Favorite To Menus

Texas Roadhouse is a chain that knows exactly what it is. Far more than just a value concept steakhouse, each restaurant is packed to the (typically) A-frame ceilings with idiosyncratic details. Here at Tasting Table, we love the the ubiquitous Willie Nelson shrines, but we aren't always in the mood for that (strategically) in-your-face employee line dancing. Today, we're shining the spotlight on another change we wish Texas Roadhouse would make: adding cornbread to the menu. 

The chain's made-from-scratch rolls have accrued their own unofficial cult following, and rightfully so. We've even created a copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls with cinnamon butter recipe to help fans capture that signature flavor at home. But, we invite foodies to imagine the possibilities of honey cinnamon-buttered cornbread. This Southern-style steakhouse side dish would reinforce the chain's eponymous Texan identity. From a culinary standpoint, the craveable combination of the tender, moist, crumbly cornbread with that rich, luscious, warm-spiced butter that's already batched for the rolls is oh-so-right. Cornbread would also make a versatile complement to myriad dishes that are already on the chain's menu, providing a touch of sweet counterbalance to savory entrees. In a Reddit thread, an apparent employee shares that apple butter is kept in the walk-in cooler supposedly for preparing one of the chain's salad dressings — and, according to the poster, it makes a delicious spread for those rolls behind the scenes (apple butter cornbread, anyone?). 

Rival casual steakhouse chain Outback is known for its dark brown molasses bread, which arrives at tables warm, sweet, and served with whipped butter. Texturally, it's plush and soft, yet notably denser than Texas Roadhouse's pillowy rolls — a delicious interplay which cornbread would also straddle. While great on its own, it would pair well with any steak and potato meal. Cornbread could transform the Chicken Critters into a heartier meal, or even amplify flavors when crumbled into the Texas Red Chili.

While exact recipes vary, cornbread is typically made from some combination of cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, buttermilk, and vegetable oil or butter. From a business standpoint, the fact that these are all relatively inexpensive and mostly shelf-stable dry ingredients doesn't seem to pose much of a financial burden if added to the chain's menu. From a back-of-house perspective, incorporating cornbread into the menu rotation might even help reduce kitchen labor for workers. In another Reddit post dedicated to Texas Roadhouse's iconic rolls, another chain employee writes, "We make the bread fresh every day. I made almost 6000 rolls yesterday for Father's day. My arms are killing me from cutting that many." Cornbread could ostensibly be batched in large rectangular sheet pans and sliced into squares, potentially reducing prep work, and getting orders out faster during high-traffic hours. All in all, we're waiting with baited breath (and rumbling bellies) for cornbread to make its way onto the Texas Roadhouse menu.