Texas Roadhouse's Unique National Competition Highlights The Chain's Commitment To Quality

Texas Roadhouse is known for its affordable, high-quality steaks that are hand-cut in the restaurant by trained butchers. Customers can even choose their own steak from the display case where they are kept at the front of the restaurant (if choosing this option, be sure to check out a guide on how to order from the steak case at Texas Roadhouse). To highlight their commitment to professionally cut steaks, the casual steakhouse even hosts an annual meat cutting challenge with a $25,000 grand prize. 

In the Texas Roadhouse National Meat Cutter Competition, Texas Roadhouse butchers compete in local, state, and regional contests that show off their meat cutting skills. The competition is the main feature of the restaurant's Meat Hero Program, created in 2001 to celebrate the chain's hardworking meat cutters. The professionally trained butchers spend seven to eight hours each day cutting meat in a walk-in refrigerator and cut on average around $1 million worth of meat per year. 

The meat cutting competition not only demonstrates the butchers' talents, but inspires them to hone their skills to meet the restaurant's standards in terms of quality and yield. And the competition is steep. According to Lehigh Valley News, one talented and well-respected meat cutter, Miguel Barragan, has worked his way up through the kitchen at the Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania Texas Roadhouse, ultimately becoming the highest paid back-of-house employee, with earnings over $70,000 per year as the restaurant's butcher. He placed in the top five at the chain's national penultimate meat cutting event in 2024.

Texas Roadhouse meat cutters in the National Meat Cutting Competition have the chance to compete in qualifier challenges, semi-finals, and ultimately the final competition. In the fall of 2024, meat cutters from restaurants around the Midwest completed qualifier challenges at the Line Creek Community Center and Ice Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The chilly conditions of the hockey rink were necessary to mimic the 35-degree Fahrenheit freezer room at the restaurant, which keeps steaks fresh.

For the timed event, 36 meat cutters took to the ice, each receiving 20 to 30 pounds of beef, and were judged on quality and yield. Butchers with the highest quantity and quality of steaks advanced to the semi-finals and eventually the finals for a chance to win the sizeable cash prize and esteemed title of Meat Cutter of the Year. Jason Mennie, Texas Roadhouse Senior Director of Legendary Food, said to WOSU NPR News, "You know, what they're doing is butchering. It's an art. They have the shape. They have the form. They have to use their knives correctly ... the thickness is important."

If reading about steaks has your mouth watering for a filet, ribeye, or sirloin, do yourself a favor and save your spot in line, or order through the Texas Roadhouse app. While already affordable for a good-quality steak, you can always finesse your way to a cheaper steak dinner at Texas Roadhouse, and rest assured it will be beautifully cut.