7 Facts About Texas Roadhouse Only A True Fan Would Know

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If you're searching for an affordable, high-quality steak, you probably won't do much better than Texas Roadhouse. Known for its hand-cut steaks, lively atmosphere, and freshly baked, pillowy soft rolls, the iconic restaurant franchise recently replaced Olive Garden as the most popular casual dining chain.

Founded by Kent Taylor in Clarksville, Indiana in 1993, Texas Roadhouse has a fascinating history, punctuated by high successes and deep tragedies. It's continued to grow an almost cult-like following despite big changes, like the decision of many of its locations to do away with offering free peanuts in recent years.

While every person who frequents this restaurant may have a favorite Texas Roadhouse steak, appetizer, or side dish, only true fans will know about some of the quirky facts that make this chain truly unique. Read on for the full scoop on the more obscure tidbits about Texas Roadhouse that have helped to elevate the brand to such venerable status.

Visit any Texas Roadhouse location and you might be surprised to find what has affectionately been dubbed "Willie's Corner." This area of the restaurant is generally populated by a hodgepodge of memorabilia and photos dedicated to legendary country music icon, Willie Nelson, as well as a stuffed armadillo and braids resembling the ones sported by the singer.

What many don't know is what the connection between Texas Roadhouse and Willie Nelson is. Beyond the fact that the singer is a well-known Texan and the restaurant celebrates everything that has to do with this great state, Nelson and restaurant founder Kent Taylor, shared a unique, lifelong friendship. They met and bonded over their shared philanthropic values at a Farm Aid benefit concert and maintained their friendship over the legendary poker games the singer used to host.

In the early 2000s, Willie Nelson became a partner in the Texas Roadhouse empire as a co-owner of a franchise located in Austin, Texas. While the franchise appeared to still be partly owned by the singer in 2022, we made a phone call to the restaurant and confirmed that he no longer has any involvement in the branch. That said, his image and energy can still be felt there, and at all other locations, as a continuous reminder of Texas Roadhouse's continued commitment to an environment that encourages frivolity and an easygoing mindset.

Decor and ambiance are integral to the success or failure of a restaurant. They establish a sense of identity and an atmosphere that sets a tone for diners to enjoy their food. Since one of the core values of the chain has always been community, specifically that of each individual location, every Texas Roadhouse sports its own collection of distinctive murals reflecting local culture, history, and people.

According to AVL Today, one artist can be credited with over 1000 of these murals — UNC Asheville graduate David Soileau. Soileau apparently continues to produce several dozen murals annually for the chain, each customized to the location based on information provided by the franchise. Though the themes are specific, the art design is purely based on his creative inspiration, giving him leeway to produce a wide array of different styles of murals.

In addition to these customized murals, each location sports a variation on a mural depicting Native American culture, based on an original design by a Texas Roadhouse artist. These murals purportedly became standard after several locations without such a mural closed. A superstitious Kent Taylor decided that it was good luck for every location moving forward to have one and a tradition was born.

We all know that one of the things that make Texas Roadhouse so special is its hand-cut steaks, which are superior in quality because they're fresher, tend to be juicier, and cook more evenly. What most don't realize is the level of skill required to produce these hand-cut steaks. Each Texas Roadhouse employs a slew of butchers who are at the top of their game, encouraging them to consistently maintain and improve their meat-cutting prowess.

In an effort to cultivate this talent, Texas Roadhouse hosts an annual national competition, known as the National Meat Cutters Challenge. This competition culminates in a cash prize of $25,000 and the title of "Meat Cutter of the Year." Finalists are gathered from local and regional competitions hosted throughout the year.

The competition is pretty intense. Each butcher is provided with 20-30 pounds of beef, including a sirloin, a filet, and a ribeye. These must be broken down within the allotted timeframe, in an environment kept at frigid temperatures. Winners are not only judged by their ability to meet the time requirement, but by the yield and overall caliber of the meat processed. This rigorous competition is as much about prestige as it is about money, and Texas Roadhouse chefs take the title very seriously.

One idiosyncrasy about Texas Roadhouse is that its restaurants serve draft beer at a temperature of 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Draft beer is typically stored around this temperature, but it's somewhat colder than average for what ends up in your glass. Temperature can play a key role in the overall quality and experience of drinking beer. On one hand, the colder the temperature, the more intense the bitter and hoppy elements within a beer. On the other, the frigidity can neutralize aroma and flavor.

Every beer has an ideal temperature at which its particular flavor notes shine. As a general rule, darker and stronger-flavored beers benefit from slightly warmer temperatures, while lighter ones tend to favor colder ones. That said, keep in mind that beer quickly warms up once it is poured, so a colder serving temperature will accommodate for this.

It's important to understand how beer can complement steak. The carbonation of beer helps to act as a de facto palate cleanser between bites, while bitter notes can balance out the fattiness of meat. Additionally, the juxtaposition of temperatures between a cold beer and a hot steak can help create a pleasant mouthfeel. All of these are good reasons for Texas Roadhouse to serve a frosty brew.

When it comes to Texas Roadhouse, the steak sauce is almost as popular as its hand-cut meat. It comes in two varieties, Classic and Gold, and has become so popular that it can now be found in grocery stores nationwide. The original Texas Roadhouse Classic Steak Sauce features bold and rich flavors full of umami notes, while still being tangy and sweet. The distinctive ingredient that makes it so good is raisin paste, which may surprise some folks, especially those who aren't typically fond of it. This ingredient is exactly what it sounds like — pulverized raisins. These provide a deep, sweet but savory aroma and taste, helping to balance out the vinegar and smokiness.

There are more surprises in Texas Roadhouse Gold Sauce, which leans into the smoke and tang with more intensity, but still has an element of sweetness that sneaks up on you. Though apple butter is the primary fruity ingredient in this sauce, it too has a somewhat surprising element that replaces the raisin paste, namely prune juice concentrate. This can give similar jammy notes, but is somewhat more earthy and tart.

Both sauces include tamarind extract to tame the sweetness conferred by the raisins and prunes. Tamarind, a tropical fruit popularly eaten across southern Asia, is characterized by its assertive sour flavor that can be more or less punctuated by hints of sweetness. It works equally well in sweet dishes as it does in savory ones, making it ideal for a steak sauce.

One feature about Texas Roadhouse that may be a nuisance to some diners, but is celebrated by the chain itself, is the boisterous, often decibel challenging sound level its restaurants are known for. In 2012, the chain was dubbed the "Loudest Restaurant in America," to which Texas Roadhouse CEO Kent Taylor responded, "Upbeat country music, laughter, full restaurants and line dancing make for a great experience. It sure beats the heck out of wine sipping, chirping crickets and clinking silverware."

This chain was founded on loud music. Indeed, its original location in Indiana featured a stage where live bands were originally intended to perform nightly. While this was discontinued, each restaurant still showcases a jukebox playing nonstop country music to keep things hopping throughout the night. The servers at Texas Roadhouse are even called "roadies" and can regularly be heard singing the happy birthday song to celebrating patrons.

Another loud but unique quirk of many Texas Roadhouse franchises is that they teach their staff to line dance. They're encouraged to bust a move during their shift to keep things light and to get customers in a festive mood. Texas Roadhouse roadies have even engaged in some healthy competition to show off their dancing skills and find out which team has the best routine.

While Texas Roadhouse may be all about the steak, which takes up 44% of its menu, it takes libations seriously too. One thing that seriously dominates the menu is its impressive selection of margarita recipes. The chain offers 15 different variations on this classic cocktails, ranging from classic lime to fruity blended strawberry or raspberry varieties. These are served in various sizes, frozen, and on the rocks.

While margaritas may seem like an unusual cocktail to be starring alongside fan favorites, like the 6-ounce USDA Choice Sirloin Steak, it isn't actually all that surprising a drink to include on the menu. The very first Texas Roadhouse location in Clarksville, Indiana featured a number of Mexican-inspired dishes on the menu, presumably inspired by the Chi-Chi's chain of restaurants, from which Taylor gleaned many of his ideas and employees.

Unfortunately, the Mexican-style fare didn't perform well alongside the stick-to-your-ribs, Texas-inspired grub, and these menu items quickly fell by the wayside. The only remaining legacy of this south-of-the-border inspiration to survive the test of time has been the slew of margaritas, which appear poised to stay for the long haul.