A trip to Texas Roadhouse went horribly wrong for one patron, as she and the other woman she was with were refused service. As a result, she filmed the confrontation, and things quickly escalated.
Texas Roadhouse has caused a lot of controversy on TikTok lately. There have been concerns over inflated tips due to the restaurant’s “suggested tips” calculation or servers allegedly trying to inflate these tips themselves.
Nonetheless, problems at Texas Roadhouse seem to be going beyond just tipping issues, as TikToker Elayssandria (@elayssandria) publicly called out the eatery in a TikTok that has amassed 39,500 views.
What Happened At Texas Roadhouse?
The video showed the women’s heated exchange with Texas Roadhouse employees.
According to the women, it all started when a staff member asked if they should be having drinks after one of them said they earlier had drinks at the pool. The TikToker and other women said they were “very concerned” about the exchange.
“Why would [the server] be coming here questioning grown a– adults about what they had at the pool before they came to Texas Roadhouse?” she asked.
The worker said they asked this “just because they had to have somebody to drive you home,” but the TikToker questioned this. Likewise, the other woman said they “know how to Uber.” Then, when the TikToker asked why a manager would come over and say that, the worker said they “have to let somebody know.”
The Manager Weighs In
The manager then came over. They asked to box up the food and leave, and the manager agreed. Then, more shouting takes place and accusations about “profiling” are levied. Then, the manager, who is called Emma according to her name tag, asked what happened.
“For [the server] to come over here and you to have that conversation with us, you had to have a conversation with her, because you never had a conversation with us, so what she did and what you did was very inappropriate,” the TikToker said.
The manager went on to say it was her job but trailed off. At that point, the manager asked them to leave, saying that this isn’t going anywhere.
Accusations of racial profiling are repeated, while the TikToker mentions that they already have a coupon because of service issues.
In the end, the TikToker also includes what appears to be an AI-generated comic strip summarizing the issue. She also gave a more detailed account in the video description.
@elayssandria Story time. So my family and I went to Texas Roadhouse expecting a good meal. We were greeted by our server, Abby. She was friendly, introduced herself, wrote her name on a napkin—it started off great. She asked what we wanted to drink. I told her we’d just been poolside, so for now we’d just take some water with lemon. I jokingly said, “H2O.” She looked confused, so I said, “Water.” No big deal. She brought our waters and salads. Then we changed our minds and decided we wanted to order drinks with dinner. That’s when everything changed. Next thing we know, the manager, Emma, comes to our table questioning us about drinking. Mind you, nobody knew if anyone had actually been drinking, how much, or when. Simply saying we’d been at the pool somehow turned into us being treated like suspects. Here’s my question: If you’re a restaurant that serves alcohol, are you questioning every customer who orders a drink? Or was there something different about us? When we calmly asked Emma why we were being questioned, she couldn’t give us an answer. Instead of de-escalating the situation, she told us to leave. But here’s the part that doesn’t make sense… If we had truly done something wrong, why did the restaurant still prepare and give us our food? That alone tells me the situation could have been handled much differently. Unfortunately, by then the damage was done. My steak was overcooked, we never received the condiments that make the meal enjoyable, and the entire experience was ruined. I have video footage of the interaction if Texas Roadhouse Corporate would like to review exactly what happened. I actually contacted corporate first because I believe businesses deserve the opportunity to investigate and make things right before the internet gets involved. This isn’t about getting anyone fired. It’s about accountability, professionalism, and making sure no other family leaves a restaurant feeling embarrassed, confused, or singled out the way we did. Texas Roadhouse, the ball is in your court .*#TexasRoadhouse * #CustomerService * #RestaurantExperience * #GuestExperience * #StoryTime
What Did The Video Description Say?
“So my family and I went to Texas Roadhouse expecting a good meal,” she began. “We were greeted by our server, Abby. She was friendly, introduced herself, wrote her name on a napkin—it started off great.”
“She asked what we wanted to drink. I told her we’d just been poolside, so for now we’d just take some water with lemon. I jokingly said, ‘H2O.’ She looked confused, so I said, ‘Water.’ No big deal,” she continued.
After the server brought the waters and salads, they decided to change their minds and order drinks: “That’s when everything changed.”
“Next thing we know, the manager, Emma, comes to our table questioning us about drinking,” she wrote. “Mind you, nobody knew if anyone had actually been drinking, how much, or when. Simply saying we’d been at the pool somehow turned into us being treated like suspects.”
“Here’s my question: If you’re a restaurant that serves alcohol, are you questioning every customer who orders a drink? Or was there something different about us?” she said. “When we calmly asked Emma why we were being questioned, she couldn’t give us an answer. Instead of de-escalating the situation, she told us to leave.”
She Contacts Corporate
The TikToker said she contacted corporate “because I believe businesses deserve the opportunity to investigate and make things right before the internet gets involved.”
“This isn’t about getting anyone fired,” she added. “It’s about accountability, professionalism, and making sure no other family leaves a restaurant feeling embarrassed, confused, or singled out the way we did.”
BroBible reached out to the TikToker via TikTok direct message and Texas Roadhouse via email.
What Did Commenters Say?
Commenter reactions were mixed.
“No one has the right to be served alcohol,” one wrote. “If they feel you shouldn’t be drinking they do not have to. Once the server says no it is illegal for the even the manager to serve you.”
“As a TXRH server they are extremely strict during training for alcohol so there was no need for this reaction I get being annoyed but this is way too much,” a second added.
While a third said, “Even if you were in the right, yelling is what got you removed. You could have handled it with respect at a normal tone. You would have gotten a different result.”
However, a fourth commenter had a different perspective, and noted, “Idk what yall seeing because I’m a server and also manage a couple days and i think the server and manager is dead wrong.”
Why Are Restaurants Careful About Serving Alcohol?
There are a lot of corporate rules and regulations surrounding the serving of alcohol to supposedly intoxicated customers. If a restaurant suspects you are intoxicated, it is possible that they won’t serve you. It depends on the dram shop laws that are implemented in the state in question.
Broadly, as explained by Insureon, dram shop laws refer to a business (like a restaurant or bar) being held liable for any injuries or damage that an intoxicated patron causes if that patron was served by the business. So, to avoid civil/legal headaches like this, some establishments err on the side of caution.