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A viral post alleges that workers at Texas Roadhouse are spitting in the food of Black customers. The chain says it's a lie.
Texas Roadhouse is issuing a statement after a viral post alleged that servers or kitchen staff are spitting in the food of Black diners.
Across two posts, Texas Roadhouse states that they are aware of the posts and that they are not true.
“We are aware of the video that is being shared with an accusation that has been made toward our restaurants. We believe it to be completely unfounded and we take every accusation toward our brand seriously,” reads one of the chain’s posts. “We are investigating this alleged abhorrent behavior and remain committed to treating every guest with respect, dignity, and the Legendary Service they deserve.”
But what is this even referring to?
Are Servers Spitting In Your Food?
Recently, a screenshot of a post from a group called “White and proud” began circulating online. It is unclear when user “Nancy Smith” made the post; the account has since changed its Facebook name and profile picture.
The post is titled, “To all you blacks in here keep this in mind.”
“Hope you enjoy your meal next time you eat out,” the post starts. “There is a Facebook group that I am part of and it is for white servers. We have come up with a plan. When a table of black diners comes in and places their order we walk back to the kitchen to get your food when ready. There is ALWAYS a blind spot in the kitchen and we are licking our fingers and touching your food. If it happens to be a Texas Roadhouse or Logan’s, those rolls are full of our white saliva. Some of the cooks are in on this too. Think they are playing. They aren’t.”
“Believe me, this has been going on since y’all started this nonsense with Karamello the candy bar Anthony crap,” the post concludes. “Btw, the group has over 400k members. Enjoy y’all’s food.”
The Claim Spreads
The viral screenshot of this post was taken just 5 minutes after it was posted, and it has since been deleted. Its deletion, however, did not stop its growth.
Soon, users across social media were alleging that there was a Facebook group with nearly half a million people set on ruining Black diners’ dinners at popular chain restaurants.
“So, apparently there’s a FB group of 400k+ white members who work as servers at Texas Roadhouse and Logan’s that are spitting in black peoples food,” reads one post on X with over 2,500 reposts. “They are also licking their fingers and touching the rolls. I want this to be fake news so bad, but apparently it’s not.”
On TikTok, a video reading and responding to the screenshotted post has accumulated over 1.5 million views.
This group rapidly turned their ire to the mentioned restaurants. For example, commenters swarmed to Texas Roadhouse’s TikTok page to make references to the viral post.
“Is this the restaurant that spit in your food?” asked one user.
“If you’re serious about opposing discrimination, comb through that fb group and look for your employees. When you find them, fire them immediately. No sensitivity training. No suspension. FIRE THEM. Even if they’ve been there for 20 years. FIRE THEM. That type of behavior and thinking cannot be untaught in an 8hr PowerPoint,” added another.
Is This Story Even Real?
In an email, a Texas Roadhouse spokesperson told BroBible that its investigation into the matter “points to a hoax.”
“We have found no credible evidence of food tampering or that this accusation is based in truth. We have engaged with a third-party firm to help us attempt to locate the source of this unfounded allegation,” the spokesperson wrote.
They added that they have a third-party firm investigating the matter, noting that they “have not been able to identify any current or former employees involved in this.”
“We do not have any evidence of food tampering or any evidence that supports these claims,” the spokesperson wrote. “Our restaurants follow very strict handling procedures when it comes to food safety and quality. Additionally, we utilize a Manager in the Window system. Prepared food passes from our kitchen to the expo window directly. All food is checked for quality and then sent directly to the table.”
The spokesperson stated that the restaurant plans to update its TikTok account once the investigation has concluded.
There are numerous reasons to not believe this story.
To start, there is zero evidence to suggest that there is a 400,000+ member Facebook group for white servers, nor is there evidence of such a group planning a coordinated campaign to spit in the food of Black diners. If such a group—and such a plan—actually existed, there would probably be more evidence of it than a single post from a different niche Facebook group.
Some may hear this and think that Smith’s post was referencing the “White and proud” group. After all, the original post came from this group.
However, “White and proud” does not meet the description laid out in Smith’s post. To start, the group has just over 62,000 members. Its members are also not solely white; many appear to be bots, while there is also a substantial contingent of Black members trying to claim the group and either make it more inclusive or mock others in the group.
Finally, before Smith’s post, there was no mention of such a plan taking place at Texas Roadhouse or any other restaurant chain.
BroBible has reached out to Nancy Smith via Facebook comment for clarification. That said, the most likely answer here is that this whole story is probably just something this user made up.
Even some of the people who originally spread this idea have since backtracked. The X poster mentioned above later followed up their post with another one reading in part, “I was sick when I saw this. So, I didn’t have time to investigate further. Turned out to be a hoax and Texas Roadhouse has released a statement.”
Yet another lesson in “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
BroBible reached out to Logan’s Roadhouse via email.