The 2-Pronged Approach That Ensures Texas Roadhouse Beef Is Consistently Fresh

When you walk into Texas Roadhouse, you're greeted by a case of fresh steaks and knowledgeable servers (both good signs, and the opposite of what you'd find at a red flag-heavy steak restaurant). Whether you go with picking your own steak or prefer to let the kitchen choose your steak for you, you know you can depend on getting a fresh cut of beef. The chain puts serious effort into making sure the beef you get is kept safe through every step of the process, using both a high-tech cold chain monitoring system and specialized employee food safety training to ensure your steak stays within an optimal temperature range from the processing plant to your table.

Texas Roadhouse takes safe meat sourcing seriously, but its commitment to delivering great steaks doesn't end there. The steakhouse's cold chain monitoring system ensures the temperature of restaurant-bound protein is monitored during every step of the transport process. This can help to reduce the chance of spoilage and allows Texas Roadhouse to ensure customers are getting fresh, quality beef that's been kept at a food-safe temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less. The chain knows the temperature of meat-delivery trucks, making it easy for Texas Roadhouse managers to address problems quickly. In the event the storage temperature begins to approach an unsafe range, cold chain monitoring ensures the issue can be quickly corrected. Storage temperature mistakes can cause serious food safety issues when it comes to meat, so keeping on top of temperature changes is vital to ensuring meat stays fresh and safe.

Cold chain monitoring is an important first step in keeping beef safe and fresh. Texas Roadhouse also employs product coaches who work behind the scenes to ensure back-of-house staff is up to date on the latest food safety techniques. Each product coach works with a dozen or so local Texas Roadhouse locations. In addition to coaching team members on food quality and preparation, they also support restaurants in meeting strict food safety and freshness standards. 

Product coaches aren't the only people on the Texas Roadhouse payroll who are responsible for ensuring freshness, however. Both product coaches and all kitchen staff at Texas Roadhouse are required to earn (or be in the process of earning) their Certified Professional — Food Safety (CP-FS) designation from the National Environmental Health Association, according to Texas Roadhouse's Corporate Sustainability Report. The CP-FS certification is comprehensive (it requires extensive knowledge in food vulnerability, handling food safety emergencies, and food preparation analysis) and helps the back-of-house staff at Texas Roadhouse to keep its beef fresh. The team-wide food safety knowledge and dedication to cold chain monitoring at Texas Roadhouse can help you rest assured you're getting a steak that's been handled well from start to finish.