Talkin Texas

Archive for the ‘New Menu’ Category

Kick Start Your Meal!

Monday, August 16th, 2010

With Our New Starter Sampler! At Texas Steakhouse, our Starter Sampler is always a favorite. But every now and then we like to kick things up a notch. That’s why we just added our famous Kickin’ Chicken to the Starter Sampler lineup!

Starter Sampler

That’s right! Our new Starter Sampler features a Texas-sized sampling of Campfire Cheese Fries, Blossom Petals and Kickin’ Chicken, served with Jalapeno Ranch, Blossom Sauce and Blue Cheese Dressing! It’s more tastes than you can shake a stick at!

So what are you waiting for? We know you’re hungry. So Kick Start your meal…

…with our new Starter Sampler!

See ya in Texas!


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Decisions, Decisions

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Here in Texas, folks often have a hard time making up their minds. But we understand. After all, with a menu loaded with so many fantastic flavors, it’s hard to settle on just one thing.

To make things easier for our more indecisive Texans, we’ve offered up combo dishes like our famous Ribeye & Ribs, Texas Surf & Turf, and Ribs & Tenders to name a few. Now we proudly announce a new dish for those who are torn between chicken and seafood:

Our brand new Crab-Stuffed Chicken!

Crab-Stuffed Chicken

It’s a juicy 7-ounce chicken breast, lightly breaded, stuffed with lump crabmeat — all topped off with sautéed shrimp and a rich tomato bisque sauce! It’s Surf meets Turf in a whole new way! Great with a Side Kick of Red Bliss Potatoes or a House Salad!

So, hungry? Then today’s the day for our new Crab-Stuffed Chicken! The answer to another timeless question: “What’s for dinner?”

See ya in Texas!

Doug Sanderson, Director of Training


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All American Taste

Monday, July 26th, 2010

At Texas Steakhouse, it’s no secret that we love American food. From our famous Mesquite-grilled steaks to our baby back ribs and chicken tenders, we like to think that we do hearty American meals like no one else. With that in mind, we’re happy to announce the latest addition to our menu.

Ladies and Gentleman, we give you – the All American Burger!

All American Burger

We know what you may be thinking, but this isn’t just another burger. In fact, it’s the result of countless taste tests and recipe refinements -a true testament to Texas Steakhouse’s dedication to burger-engineering.

We start out with two juicy, hot-off-the-mesquite-grill beef patties on top of a toasted bun, top it with American cheese, bacon, fresh tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and our special dressing. Then we close the deal with what else? Fried onion rings.

So what are you waiting for? Do your duty as a hungry patriot and try our new All American Burger! And don’t forget to save room for Grandma’s Strawberry Shortcake where $1 of every order is donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

See ya in Texas!

Terry Smith, President
Texas Steakhouse &Saloon


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Clearing the Hurdles

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Have you ever wondered how we choose new items for the Texas Steakhouse menu? Well, contrary to what you might think, we don’t just pick a dish and throw it on the menu. Each must go through a series of steps or “hurdles” as we call them, in order to earn a permanent spot on the main menu.

It all begins with the menu team. Each week, our menu team meets to discuss new ways to keep our menu fresh and exciting. Ideas are bounced around, we do taste tests, and eventually we come up with a few dishes to put on a “test” menu.

The test menu is then put into five of our locations for a period of 60 days. We track the popularity of each item through what we call a “hurdle rate.” At the end of the period, the dish or dishes that surpass the hurdle rate earn a coveted spot on our main menu.

There are many advantages to the hurdle system. First and foremost, it ensures that only the best dishes make it onto the main menu. Secondly, it allows us to maintain our high level of quality and value by only using ingredients and offering menu items that we know guests will select. Most importantly, it leaves the final say on new menu items to you, our guests.

So, next time you’re in Texas, be sure to savor the flavor of that Super Chicken Club, Montreal Sirloin or Chicken Fried Chicken. Once upon a time it was just an aspiring test menu dish — one that had to overcome many hurdles to make it to your plate.

See you in Texas!

Doug Sanderson, Director of Training

Texas Steakhouse


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Super Cheezy Chicken Takes Off

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

They say chickens can’t fly but Super Cheezy Chicken, one of our seven delicious brand new menu items, has absolutely taken off!

Then again, we’re not surprised. After all, when we decided to take two plump, juicy 7-ounce chicken breasts, coat them in our signature spicy barbeque sauce, then top them off with melted cheddar and jack cheeses we expected a heckuva response.

What we didn’t expect was that Super Cheezy Chicken, priced at just $9.99 with one Side Kick, would become a menu legend-in-the-making so soon! In fact, it has already become one of our most popular dishes!

If you haven’t tried our Super Cheezy Chicken yet, it’s time to head over to Texas and taste it for yourself. If you’ve already tried it, don’t worry; we’ve got plenty more! So what are you waiting for? Find out what Real Texas tastes like. Try our Super Cheezy Chicken today!

Doug Sanderson
Director of Training

Super Cheesy Chicken


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The Excitement of a Texas TV Shoot

Monday, April 12th, 2010

The Marketing Team gathered for our quarterly meeting and the decision was made to create some television spots featuring our mesquite-grilled 9oz ribeyes, 7oz sirloins and burgers. This is quite an event and many professionals come together to make all the beautiful footage we use in our commercials.

We work with a Robert LaTorre and his team at Big Fish Films. He is an amazingly talented and brilliant artist and director. Our first conversation begins with a budget and creative direction. Shot ideas and techniques are discussed, and soon after CurrentMarketing creates a storyboard of the vision for everyone to understand and agree to.
Next, our agency goes into coordination mode. Recipes are gathered, quantities of food items are determined. For example we may need 100 perfectly shaped brioche buns for our burger shot.

All American Burger

Talk about details! Everything is hand-picked and scrutinized. The food stylist makes all the difference. We spend the money to get the best because the food has to look great. And what you see is what you get. We don’t cheat on our portions. Everything is to spec. We use our product and processes. And I am on location to approve all presentations.

The shoot requires one day of pre-production and decisions on plated “stand-ins” for color and composition. Shot order is established, shot angles are walked through and reviewed via monitor. Hand movements are practiced and every second is planned out. We pack a ton in one day because shooting video is very expensive and as a 29-store restaurant chain we are frugal with our marketing dollars.

The day of the shoot is really a lot of fun. We have great “craft services” (code for unbelievable treats to snack on throughout the day). And a giant HD TV monitor so we can see every “take” very close up. Some of us get to participate in the shoot by flipping a burger or squeezing a lime. I am known in some parts as the “King of the Rib Tear,” a move I managed to perfect a few years ago.

The actual shooting, scheduled for early next month, will take three full days. I always look forward to working with everyone there, from the lighting techs or “gaffers” to the “steamer” (guy who creates the steam coming from a hot dish). It is an action-filled day with many decisions. It requires patience, creativity and experience. And we always come away with fabulous footage that we’re proud to use to represent Texas Steakhouse & Saloon.

Terry Smith
President
Texas Steakhouse & Saloon


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French Press Coffee Service

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

I have to admit that when I first heard Texas Steakhouse was going to implement a new coffee product and it was going to be brewed using a French Press, I thought the CEO had lost his mind. What does anything French have to do with Texas and how in the world are we going to sell a $2.99 coffee when Starbucks is on every corner? And then I got to try it.

From the moment the server brought it to our table, it was an experience. The small silver pot was filled with locally produced 8th Sin grinds stirred with some very hot water. We were informed that we should wait a few minutes while it brews. The coffee aroma was so alluring I couldn’t wait to press the coffee into the bottom of the pot and pour the first cup.

Wow! Finally a cup of coffee in a family restaurant that I can actually say tastes better than Starbucks. And the pot is sized so that the customer actually gets a cup and a half. The coffee flavor is pure and healthier because we avoid those bleached and toxic paper filters that so many other restaurants use.

Come in and try it. The second pot is FREE right now. And the Grandma’s Shortcake goes really well with it!!!

Written by Neal @ Store 8053

Coffee2 CORRECTED with shortcakeLR

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