9 May 28 - June 3, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Road Killing It We head to Texas Roadhouse on a busy Saturday night; here’s why it’s always packed. BY LISA PETTY A t 6 p.m. on a recent Saturday night, we added our name to the list at a Garland-area Texas Roadhouse, thinking it might not be as busy as other steak restaurants, only to learn we’d have a 55- to 65-minute wait. Curiously, at least half of our fellow din- ers-in-waiting lingered just outside the restaurant, shuffling their feet or calming ba- bies in strollers. Why? The confirmation text you receive when joining the wait list at Texas Roadhouse reads: “Please remain close to the building and keep your phone nearby. We will text you to bring your party inside shortly.” Many people seem to take this statement literally. Inside, there was bench seating near the host stand and a few stools at the bar. We ignored the text in favor of air condi- tioning and (hopefully) a drink. After confirming with the host that we could, indeed, wait at the bar without being banished as rule-breakers, we headed that way. Finding only single seats, we were de- lighted when a diner, unprompted, offered to move down a seat so that our party of two could sit together. We then ordered two drinks ($7 beer, $9.50 wine) as we marveled in cityfied cynicism, both at our neighbor’s kind- ness and the generous volume of the pours. Let Us Eat Steak As the saying goes, they’re not from Texas, but they got here as fast as they could. The first Texas Roadhouse restaurant opened in the early ‘90s in Indiana; the chain ex- panded to Texas in 1997 with our state’s first location in Grand Prairie. Today, the com- pany operates over 800 restaurants world- wide and is the largest-grossing restaurant chain in the U.S. by sales. This fact was noted in a recent Wall Street Journal feature, which also highlighted CEO Jerry Morgan’s commitment to pinching pen- nies to keep the restaurant’s signature steak dinners as affordable as possible. This afford- ability, coupled with a super-family-friendly atmosphere and many people-pleasing perks (more on those later), adds up to overflowing dining rooms many nights of the week. A new Texas Roadhouse outpost is open- ing just west of Dallas on the way to AT&T Stadium — we mean Dallas Stadium — bringing our North Texas total to 18. The coming throngs of FIFA World Cup fans will surely take note. With our state’s reputation — or at least our steaks — on the line, we felt it was high time for a Roadhouse revisit. Bless This Mess Atmosphere-wise, it’s loud and full, with ev- ery flat surface covered in stuff. There’s stuff to munch on: free rolls and free peanuts with pails for the shells. There’s stuff to play with: tabletop video consoles with app-style games. And, of course, there’s stuff to order: overstuffed caddies hold laminated cards promoting new drink and food offerings. Our waiter, Aaron, was little more than a kid himself. He greeted us promptly once we were seated— sidestepping a toddler with zoomies — and he knew the menu in- side and out. We liked him a lot. So How’s the Food? Meat takes center stage here, from the mar- ket-style display by the host stand to an on- site “meat cutter” at every location. According to a company PR rep, the best-selling steak at Texas Roadhouse is the 6-ounce sirloin. The representative pointed us to the company’s Sustainability Report in response to our questions on sourcing. It details that the beef comes almost entirely from U.S. and Canada-based suppliers that “adhere to North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) ani- mal handling standards.” For our dinner, we considered the Dallas filet, New York strip, or even the Porter- house. We asked our hostess for a recom- mendation, and she professed her devotion to the prime rib. Aaron said he actually likes the Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs the best. Eventually, we settled on a 12-ounce Fort Worth ribeye ($24.99) and grilled salmon ($16.99). The latter is “harvested responsi- bly,” as well as “antibiotic-free, fed an all-natural diet, and given sufficient swim- ming space.” Cheese and Bacon for $1.29? Yes. Most entrees come with two sides, and choices include (but are not limited to) baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, and corn, any of which can be ordered “loaded” with cheese and ba- con for an additional $1.29. That means you can get a loaded baked potato, of course, which we did, and we also opted to load our mac and cheese. Because, why not? The food arrived promptly, and we were encouraged to cut into the steak to confirm it was cooked to our liking. It was, and delicious to boot. Rosy medium, per our request, that ri- beye was juicy, flavorful and well-seasoned. Paired with the aforementioned baked potato, it was the definition of a “good steak dinner.” Beef steak prices hit an all-time high last week, according to the Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics, up 70% (70!!) since January 2020. In mid-May, Kroger has boneless Nolan Ryan ribeye steaks for $19.10 each. How does that compete, even for a Hall of Famer, when for a few bucks more, you can get a perfectly cooked steak, two sides and more schtick than you can shake a stick at for 25 bucks. ▼ CLOSINGS KOMODO: THE RECEIPTS WHAT THE BOOZE SALES TELL US ABOUT ONE OF DALLAS’ BIGGEST RESTAURANT IMPORTS. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS In a 2023 New York Times article, North Texas native Priya Krishna dubbed Dallas as the “New Dubai,” writing that the dining scene is “pumped up by the arrival of several high-end national restaurant groups, all looking to cater to the party.” She referred to the steakhouse STK, RH (Restoration Hardware), Komodo, La Neta and Nusr-Et — the last three all of which have now closed. There are other shiny imports: Carbone’s opened in the Design District. Avra, a fish-friendly Greek spot, The 12-ounce Fort Worth rib-eye is $24.99 and comes with two sides. Lisa Petty | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish >> p10
