How Fans Really Feel About The Texas Roadhouse At-Home Products

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As Texas Roadhouse has increasingly waded deeper into the at-home market pool, one might draw their own conclusion about consumer opinions of the products prompting a demand. While many have weighed in favorably on the offerings that include appetizer-themed flavors as well as a margarita drink mix, the public response has proven more nuanced than a simple thumbs up or down. So a deeper look was taken to truly grasp the sentiment for the steakhouse chain's series of products.

Looking at online reviews from various retailers, consensuses crop up revealing that preferences for the Texas Roadhouse goods consider more than just what budgets and schedules will allow. In fact, many nuanced palettes that questioned discrepancies in taste prompted a closer look comparing the ingredients between what is served at restaurants versus what is found on store shelves. Others challenge how well the products represent what fans can expect when they dig in. True as it is that no product is likely to make every consumer satisfied, the divided camps in favor and against the at-home offerings certainly found some common ground whether critiquing the steak sauce or the ever-popular rolls.

Among Texas Roadhouse's forays into bringing the flavors from its scratch-made kitchen to your kitchen, the steakhouse chain released a pair of seasoning blends with a couple of popular appetizers in mind. The collaboration with B&G Foods, Inc. offers fans of Rattlesnake Bites and the Cactus Blossom a ready way to replicate those tastes at home and apply them to other dishes. The latter option certainly proved a hit with many who recount positive experiences adding a spicy kick to their Brussels sprouts, eggs, pork chops, potatoes, and soups, as well as loads more dishes.

Notes of bell peppers, cayenne, cheddar cheese, and garlic make up the Rattlesnake Bites while the Cactus Blossom blend features a mix of garlic, horseradish, and onion. Promotions for the seasonings even suggest that they will go well with dips, wings, tacos, or steaks, but it is the last application that proved the source of a number of negative reviews. Somewhere between the shopping cart and tastebuds, some buyers came to expect that the seasonings were meant to match the flavor of the chain's steaks instead of the named appetizers. Lacking the proprietary blend of spices that comprise just one of many things to know about Texas Roadhouse steaks proved an insurmountable hurdle for the disappointed. Meanwhile, others have offered measured reviews that reflect positively on the flavors despite feeling that they fell short of being a perfect match for the Blossom and Bites.

Sometimes happy hour looks like bellying up to the kitchen counter instead of the bar, and for those occasions Texas Roadhouse has fans of its Legend Margarita covered. The official margarita mixer of the chain promises that it is the authentic recipe, but there are some snags that leave reviewers feeling overly soured. In this case the pun is intended as there are noticeable differences between the ingredients in the mixer compared to the sour mix that a former employee claims is used at the restaurant.

Rather than the combination of real sugar, blue agave, Persian lime juice, and orange oils, Texas Roadhouse is said to use the Finest Call sour mix that features high fructose corn syrup with lemon and lime oils. Additionally, the directions on the package to make a margarita on the rocks only mention combining tequila with the mixer. That may be sufficient to match the standard margarita, but the in-house Legend incorporates three variations of Patrón along with Grand Marnier. All told, many have expressed their satisfaction with the mixer for easing the transition from workday to 5 o'clock somewhere — even if the taste is slightly different than at the restaurant. Those looking to add a fresh taste to their store-bough margarita mix can consider adding fresh lime juice, grapefruit juice, or a number of other flavor-boosting alternatives.

Beyond the purists who take their cut simply seasoned with salt and pepper and those who enjoy it smothered with sautéed mushrooms and onions, whether or not it's proper to enhance your ribeye, filet, or strip with steak sauce is a dividing line unto itself. Since how you enjoy your steak is a matter of preference, Texas Roadhouse has endeavored to provide the same restaurant quality experience at home with the release of two separate sauces. Of course, just how not everyone agrees on their use, there is another divide on the quality of the goods.

For some, both the Roadhouse Gold — a smoky and tangy sauce meant to replicate what is available at each table in the restaurant — and the Classic — a retail exclusive promoted as a bold and rich creation — are not only delicious on steak, but used for other foods, as well. As to what makes the sauce so good that positive reviews promote repurposing the sauces as marinades or for dipping, considerable credit is given to the balance of tomato paste with raising paste and tamarind among the ingredients. That said, those who aren't as keen on the sauces express their opinion that the version at the restaurant is superior with some going as far as to suggest the retail endeavor is little more than A1 steak sauce in disguise.

Much in the same way that the seasoning blends have left some consumers disappointed that the spice doesn't match the flavor profile of the Texas Roadhouse steaks, some of those who purchased one of the three appetizer-themed dips had expected a flavor akin to the dips paired with those dishes in the restaurant. Instead, the collaboration with West Madison Foods sought to craft something new inspired by the fried pickles, Rattlesnake Bites, and Cactus Blossom — which fans and employees love to enhance with a secret menu trick. Promoted as a "nod" to the appetizers, each attempt to "pay tribute" aims to combine the flavor of the food and their complimentary dips into a single bite.

The result is three unique flavors of dairy-based dips that, while not quite what some expected, still left many satisfied with the level of heat from the cayenne in the Cactus Blossom and Rattlesnake Bites, as well as the amount of dill in the fried pickle dip. While positive reviews outnumber the negative, those unhappy with the flavors consider the varieties bland or too heavy on the seasoning, thus firmly proving you can't please everyone.

Texas Roadhouse is well aware of the fanfare surrounding the fresh baked rolls served free of charge by the basketful at every visit. So, to offer their carb-craving clientele the chance to make any meal feel like a night at one of their hundreds of restaurants nationwide, ready-to-bake mini rolls hit store shelves in June 2024. What started as a Walmart exclusive available in the area surrounding Texas Roadhouse's headquarters and flagship location soon stretched nationwide beyond the states of Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio.

As with other at-home products, the notably smaller rolls are described as another "nod" to the restaurant version with a bake time from frozen estimate of 27 to 30 minutes. For some expressing a negative response to the rolls, this was the first stumbling block as variations in ovens and climates result in occasional crisp edges from over-baking. Many share mixed reviews of the accompanying honey cinnamon glaze as it crosses the line from savory to sweet making a typical starter or side feel more like a ready-to-bake cinnamon roll. Still, though they don't quite hit the spot for those contending the fresh baked are superior, a majority of reviews rave the mini rolls are a great buy unto themselves proving ideal for making sliders or breakfast sandwiches. All told, they satisfy longings for Texas Roadhouse in between visits and make it easier to abide by rules to keep in mind at the restaurant like saving room instead of filling up on the bread.

Enticing all by itself, Texas Roadhouse fans often voice as much love for the honey cinnamon butter they slather on their rolls as they do the fresh baked bread — with some going as far as to try and recreate the iconic butter at other restaurants. So, just as the steakhouse chain has served up a version of the baked good for at-home consumption, it also delivers an homage to the sweet butter with two versions of a whipped buttery spread. Available in both original, like you'd get on your baked potato, and honey cinnamon, as is paired with the baskets of rolls, a key difference remains somewhat insurmountable for some to rally behind the spreads.

As opposed to being a genuine dairy product, both flavors of the spread are oil-based using a combination of soybean oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and vegetable monoglycerides. The result, though easily spread, found those expecting a butter disappointed that what they'd purchased was really a margarine. Despite that hangup for some — and others who find the taste lacking by compare — the vast majority of reviews express no surprise at the difference between butter and buttery spread and focus instead on how the taste is a fair comparison to the butter served at the restaurant.