What Happens To Texas Roadhouse's Leftover Food?

When you walk into Texas Roadhouse, you might find yourself overwhelmed — in a good way. The cases of steaks, the baskets of rolls (there's a reason Texas Roadhouse rolls taste so delicious), and the scent of Cactus Blossoms wafting through the air lets you know you're in just the place for a hearty, casual-yet-super-satisfying meal. And there's another reason to feel great about eating at Texas Roadhouse: its commitment to lessening food waste.

Texas Roadhouse makes all of its food from scratch, allowing the chain to cut down on food waste by using scraps from one dish to form the base for another. That means there aren't really leftovers to throw out besides what customers don't finish on their plates. According to the chain's 2025 corporate sustainability report, when employees hand-cut steaks in the restaurants, for instance, the trimmings are used for other menu items — such as chili and kebabs — rather than wasted. Whatever fat is left over is rendered and used to grease the grills, providing flavor and cutting down on food waste further. In 2025, Texas Roadhouse hired an outside chain to perform an audit of the restaurant's food waste at one of its Connecticut locations. According to the aforementioned report, "The audit identified an average of food waste per guest lower than the industry average."

Food waste is a serious issue for many home cooks. Thankfully, you can put some of the tips that Texas Roadhouse uses to reduce food waste in your own kitchen. If you're cutting steaks or other cuts of meat into smaller portions and you end up with some scraps, don't toss them into the trash can. Saving pieces for stews and kebabs can help you cut down on costs and food waste at the same time. If the scraps aren't large enough for the kind that go on skewers, you can easily make juicy kebab meat on a sheet pan with the help of a food processor.

Like the staff at Texas Roadhouse, it's also a smart idea for you to save the fat trimmings from beef in your own kitchen. You can actually make your own beef tallow from trimmed steak fat by rendering and straining it. There are a ton of simple ways to cook with beef tallow; it makes for great french fries, roasted vegetables, and more. Using every part of your ingredients — and cooking from scratch when you can — can help you reduce food waste in your home just like this popular steakhouse chain.