How Texas Roadhouse Employees Are Trained To Encourage You To Spend More Money

Fellow Texas Roadhouse fans, we've all been there. You walk into the restaurant, take a moment to decide whether you want to choose your own steak from the case, head to your table, and your host presents you with a basket of the chain's to-die-for rolls, which you munch on while perusing the menu. But as you're telling your server what you'd like, you're peppered with questions — and your answers may ramp up the cost of your bill. According to accounts from Texas Roadhouse employees on social media, they're actually trained to upsell customers — part of their job is to encourage you to add items to your order that will drive up the price of your bill.

According to what appears to be an employee-uploaded Quizlet study guide for Texas Roadhouse servers-in-training, there are several ways the restaurant trains servers to upsell customers, including asking if they'd like premium liquor instead of the (cheaper) well version; whether they'd like to add mushrooms and onions to steaks ("smothering" the item, in Texas Roadhouse speak); if they're interested in loading up baked potatoes with cheese, bacon, and sour cream; and asking customers if they'd like a "sidekick" of ribs or shrimp with their entrées. Upselling isn't a Texas Roadhouse-exclusive practice — servers at most restaurants (other than fine dining establishments with prix fixe menus) are encouraged to upsell menu items.

According to Reddit posts, servers' upsell rates are tracked. You can see how that puts pressure on servers to get you to smother your steak or load up your appetizer — one server on TikTok even mentioned that her job depends on her ability to upsell. Some Texas Roadhouse servers have expressed frustration at figuring out how to get people to buy in, especially when they're asked by management to sell gift cards, as these seem to be a particularly hard sell. Some customers probably get frustrated by the upselling, too — Texas Roadhouse rakes in a staggering amount of cash each year, and dining there isn't exactly easy on the wallet.

If you're among those frustrated customers, remember that your Texas Roadhouse server simply doing their job. But if you're looking for ways to cut costs while dining out, it's totally okay to say no. When they're asking for preferences (for example, if you'd like bacon and cheese on your baked potato), be sure to ask whether there will be an extra charge so you aren't surprised when the bill comes. If you're not in the mood for the upgrade, simply smile, thank them, and keep it moving — and maybe ask for another basket of the fantastic never-ending rolls to take your meal to the next level without an additional charge.