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Texas Roadhouse is expanding its Chicken Alfredo Pasta rollout and testing new nonalcoholic drinks across its three restaurant brands, according to a report.
The steakhouse chain added Chicken Alfredo Pasta to more than 600 locations in recent months and plans to bring it to the roughly 100 remaining locations by spring 2027, executives said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
Operators had asked for a new menu item, and early tests of the pasta proved popular with customers and staff, CEO Jerry Morgan said.
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“It’s a great choice for somebody who wants something a little bit different,” Michael Bailen, vice president of investor relations for Texas Roadhouse, said.
Individual locations shared news of the penne pasta dish online, describing it as “creamy, cheesy and seriously delicious.”
Texas Roadhouse is expanding its food and drink offerings. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Some fans praised the dish, with one woman on Facebook saying it was “so good” and that she hoped it would remain on the menu permanently.
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Others, however, wondered what a pasta dish was doing on a steakhouse menu.
Texas Roadhouse says the pasta rounds out its menu, giving diners looking for something beyond steak another option. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
“Who goes to a steakhouse and orders chicken Alfredo?” one Reddit user said in a thread dedicated to Texas Roadhouse.
Bailen said the dish is “probably not going to be one of our top 10 mix entrée items that we offer, but it rounds out the menu.”
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Texas Roadhouse is also seeing continued demand for mocktails and dirty sodas, according to the report. The company is now testing “energizer” drinks at all three of its brands: Texas Roadhouse, Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers.
Texas Roadhouse says demand for mocktails and dirty sodas continues as it tests “energizer” drinks (not pictured) at its three brands. (iStock)
The menu moves come as the company works to maintain momentum after sales growth slowed late in the third quarter, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
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Executives attributed part of the slowdown to a viral social media hoax that falsely accused Texas Roadhouse and Logan’s Roadhouse employees of planning to tamper with Black customers’ food. The company investigated and concluded the claims were false.
Sales and traffic improved each week in October and continued to strengthen in early November, executives said.
The company said sales and traffic improved each week in October. (iStock)
Texas Roadhouse expects to open approximately 35 company-owned restaurants across its three brands in 2026, with another 35 planned for 2027.
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“Maybe the recovery has taken a little bit longer than some would have expected, but our operators are out there busting their butts and they’ve doubled down on everything they’re doing,” Bailen said.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Texas Roadhouse for comment.
