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Win $500 of Free Gas from Texas Steakhouse!

Friday, April 27th, 2012

At Texas Steakhouse, we’re serious about making the guest experience great. Our online guest feedback survey plays a vital role in helping us find ways to better serve you, and now we’re giving you a chance to win a $500 Gas Card by taking just three minutes to share your feedback with us.

The next time you enjoy a meal at Texas Steakhouse, visit SteakhouseSurvey.com and enter the survey code printed at the bottom of your receipt. You’ll be asked three short questions about your visit, and then you’ll be automatically entered into our random monthly drawing to win a $500 Gas Card*. If your name is chosen, we’ll also give your server a Gas Card worth $250.

Unlike comment cards or other feedback methods, our online survey, powered by Qore Analytics, allows us to review and reply to every guest right then and there, so if there’s a service issue we can address it and correct it immediately.

Each of our stores receives their own guest satisfaction score based on your feedback, and raising the “Qore Score” has become a point of friendly competition among our team members. Most importantly, Qore gives us a very detailed picture of how we can improve our guest experience – and the more responses we get, the clearer it is.

So the next time you enjoy a meal at Texas Steakhouse, please take a few minutes to tell us how we’re doing. You’ll be entered to win a $500 Gas Card while helping us serve you even better.

We look forward to hearing from you. Good luck!

Sincerely,

George Crane, Chief Operations Officer

Texas Steakhouse

*No purchase necessary. See complete rules and details at www.SteakhouseSurvey.com.

Posted in Behind The Scenes, Friends, Fun | 27 Comments »

A Christmas Message from Terry

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe Christmas is here again, but it seems to come sooner every year. Still, as we enjoy this special season and wind down another year, we’re given a great opportunity to look back on the past while looking forward to the year ahead. With that, I’m happy to say that Texas Steakhouse had a great 2011, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

Throughout 2011, the Texas team spent a lot of time looking for ways create value and enhance your overall guest experience. We introduced several delicious new dishes like the Texas Chili Burger, Chicken Tender Salad and Texas Chuck Roast. We also launched the Texas Steakhouse mobile app and Digital Spurs program, which allows guests to enjoy all of the perks of Gold Spurs’ membership right from their smartphone.

2011 also proved a great year for Texas Steakhouse’s efforts to support America’s men and women in uniform, as we surpassed $35,000 in total donations for the Wounded Warrior Project. And our first-ever Letters to the Troops campaign exceeded our expectations, collecting more than 2,850 cards, emails and messages of support for our heroes at home and abroad.

There’s so much more I could mention, but I’ll just close by saying that, thanks to you, 2011 has been one of the best yet for Texas Steakhouse. On behalf of our entire Texas family, I want to offer my heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. We look forward to serving you in 2012!

Sincerely,

Terry Smith. President

Texas Steakhouse

Posted in Behind The Scenes, Friends | 6 Comments »

Roanoke Rapids Gives Back

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Our Roanoke Rapids, NC store has partnered with Hannah’s Place, a local non-profit organization, to brighten the holidays for families who have been through extreme hardships. Hannah’s Place provides several forms of assistance to men, women, and children in Roanoke Rapids who have been affected by domestic violence and/or sexual abuse. They assist families facing financial hardships, provide local shelter and run a thrift store that assists families of domestic violence with necessities (clothes, toys, bedding, etc.).

To assist Hannah’s Place, our Roanoke Rapids’ Texas Steakhouse is selling $1.00 Holiday donation cards. The money raised will then be used to purchase toys for the children of Hannah’s Place. On Saturday, December 17th, the families will visit Texas Steakhouse to unwrap their toys and enjoy some delicious baked goods.

Our goal is to raise $1,000 to support this wonderful organization. We also hope that the fundraiser will raise awareness of domestic violence and spotlight organizations like Hannah’s Place. So if you live in our around our Roanoke Rapids location, please stop in before December 17th and donate one dollar to support this important cause.

Read more about the collection in this story from RRSPIN, Roanoke Rapids news.

Posted in Behind The Scenes, Friends | No Comments »

With your help, we sent the troops a Texas-sized “Thank You”

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

We just finished sorting and shipping your letters to the troops, and we must say that we have been completely blown away by your support for the military. From a 5-year-old asking his daddy to “come home soon” to a retired naval officer encouraging service men and women to be strong during the holidays, it has been a pleasure to collect your well-wishes.

With your help we collected nearly 2,500 letters to ship to the troops through the A Million Thanks program. It has been incredible for everyone here at Texas Steakhouse &Saloon to get to work on this project. Thank you so much.

Here are a few images from along the way and a few of our favorites letters:

Dear Soldier,
This week I am training for my black belt and my mind is whirling around what I have to do on the physical part of my test. But it doesn’t compare to the physical things you all do on a daily basis. I realized that this morning when I sat down to rest, you guys don’t get that chance. I admire every one of you and pray for you where ever you all end up. It’s an amazing thing you have given me and my family, the ability to train and do what every extra curricular activity we so chose. Thank you for all you have done and will do in the future.
God Bless,
Christina Rogers Phillips

Thank you so much for the sacrifices you are making to ensure that America remains a free and protected country. I thank God for my freedom and know that it is not to be taken for granted. You and your families are so generous in giving to serve the greatest country of all. We have our problems and things sometimes are too focused on the negatives, but I try to step back daily and realize that my freedom is being ensured and watched over by America’s finest.
Thank you for the job you do. May god bless and protect you and your families.
Karen Jordan

Posted in Behind The Scenes, Friends, Supporting Our Troops | 2 Comments »

The Wounded Warrior Project: Honoring & Empowering Our Heroes

Friday, September 30th, 2011

In 2009, Texas Steakhouse began donating one dollar of every Grandma’s Shortcake purchase to the Wounded Warrior Project — an organization committed to honoring and empowering servicemen and women who’ve suffered battle-related injuries since September 11, 2001.

With your help, we’ve now raised more than $33,000.

Jonathan Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Development for WWP, recently sent a letter commending our efforts. We would like to share it with all of you:

WWP_TSSLetter

We would like to thank Jonathan and the entire staff at WWP for the kind letter. We would also like to thank our guests who continue to make these donations possible. Most of all, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the brave men and women of America’s Armed Forces. It is because of their courage and sacrifice that we enjoy the freedom, liberty and security we have today.

To learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project and all of the ways they help America’s injured veterans, please visit WoundedWarriorProject.org. Thanks again and remember, next time you’re in Texas, save room for Grandma’s Shortcake.

Posted in Behind The Scenes, Friends, Supporting Our Troops | No Comments »

Meet George Crane: Texas Steakhouse’s Speed Demon

Friday, September 9th, 2011

George Crane has a need for speed. As Senior Director of Operations at Texas Steakhouse, it is George’s duty to find ways to improve the overall guest experience, and he’s made increasing speed of service his top priority.

“Nothing spoils a good meal like slow service,” said George. “The food could be great, the atmosphere could be immaculate and the server could be friendly. But if you find yourself waiting too long for your food, for refills, for your check – it leaves a very bad impression, and it should never happen.”

With George leading the way, Texas Steakhouse has streamlined food prep procedures and server practices to maximize speed and efficiency, placing a special emphasis on the lunch crowd.

“Most folks get an hour for lunch,” said George, “and by the time they drive here, that’s ten minutes gone.”

“Once a guest arrives at Texas Steakhouse, our goal is to seat them, take their order, prepare their dish and serve them – all while leaving enough time to enjoy their meal and make it back to work on time – without compromising food quality.”

It appears to be paying off. George has gotten numerous compliments from guests who’ve noticed the faster service.

“Speed of service is a subject I’m very passionate about because it’s so important to the overall guest experience,” added George. “Our speed of service initiatives have made a big impact, and the guest response has been outstanding. I am really proud of how well our team is performing.”

Of course, for a speed demon like George, looking for ways to increase speed of service never ends. If you don’t believe it, just send him an email. At the bottom of his reply, you’ll find his now famous signature line:

“Sent while working on speed of service opportunities for Texas Steakhouse.”

speedofservice

Tags: customer, guest, service
Posted in Behind The Scenes | 2 Comments »

Meet the Posse: Q & A with Texas Steakhouse Prep Cook, Bob D.

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

So Bob, how long have you been with Texas Steakhouse?

I’ve worked for Texas for almost ten years.

What do you enjoy most about being on the Texas team?

Mainly, it’s the people. I’ve been here a long time, and I’ve made a lot of great friends – coworkers and guests alike. It’s a real family atmosphere here, and we all enjoy what we do and being around each other.

What do you think sets Texas Steakhouse apart from other restaurants?

Well, I think the biggest difference is how much care we put into the food. A lot of places, they’re always looking for ways to cut corners. Maybe they’ll use frozen ground beef or serve precut steaks out of a cardboard box. Here, we only use fresh ground beef, and we hand cut our steaks every morning; we even bread our Chicken Tenders by hand. And instead of using Mesquite salt to fake the taste of a grilled steak, we use a real mesquite-wood fire.

It’s funny. Just the other day I saw a commercial for another place advertising their “new wood-fire grill.” They were making a big deal about it, talking about how great their steaks were gonna taste. This was a real popular place, too. Somewhere everybody’s heard of. Here, we’ve been cooking steaks over a real wood fire since day one. I thought to myself, “Maybe those guys stopped by a Texas Steakhouse and found out what a steak’s supposed to taste like.”

That is funny. For my last question, let me ask you this: If you were talking to someone who’d never been to a Texas Steakhouse, and you had to sum it up in just a couple of sentences, what would you say?

Well, I’d say that here, it’s all about the flavor. If we have to spend a little more to get the best ingredients, so be it. Whatever it takes to get the biggest flavors, that’s what we’ll do.

Thanks for your time, Bob.

My pleasure.

Posted in Behind The Scenes, Food, Fun | No Comments »

Tell Us What You Think – Win an iPad 2!

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Dear Texas Steakhouse Fans,

As many of you know, at Texas Steakhouse we believe our success depends on two things: serving great food at great values, and delivering the best family dining experience in the business. To accomplish this, we don’t hire “secret shoppers” who have a checklist to rate the experience, and who are often detected by the staff. Instead, we listen to the real experts – our guests.

Qore Analytics, our online survey system, makes it all possible. Each of our restaurants is measured using a daily Qore Score. And this feedback factors into every decision we make about that location. Qore is part of our DNA and it’s based on real guests giving us real feedback that we can act on.

On the bottom of every receipt, we print a survey code. When you arrive home from a meal at Texas Steakhouse, just enter this code at SteakhouseSurvey.com. The survey takes just under five minutes to complete, and it gives us invaluable information that helps us serve you better.

iPad image

And to show our appreciation, guests who complete our survey will be automatically entered to win a new iPad 2* each and every month! We’ve already chosen winners for May, June and July.

On behalf of all of us at Texas Steakhouse, I’d like to congratulate our winners and encourage all our guests to take a few minutes to let us know how we’re doing. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Terry Smith, President

Texas Steakhouse &Saloon

*No purchase necessary. See complete rules and details at SteakhouseSurvey.com.

Tags: feedback, ipad2, survey
Posted in Behind The Scenes, Fun | 32 Comments »

Ready for the Close-Up

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

You see them whenever you flip through the pages of our menu, but have you ever wondered how we get those fantastic photos of our dishes?

We recently held a photo shoot for some new additions to our menu, and we wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get such beautiful menu shots.

First of all, we prepare each dish exactly like it’s made in the restaurant. No smoke and mirrors. No stunt buns. Just the same recipes, ingredients and cooking methods you’d see in any Texas Steakhouse kitchen.

From there, a team of professionals, including a food stylist, lighting specialist and photographer, combine talents to ensure each dish looks just as delicious on the menu as it does when it reaches your table. We take several shots from every angle, using different sets and lighting techniques – all in pursuit of that perfect, mouthwatering shot.

So the next time you’re flipping through the menu at Texas Steakhouse, take a moment to admire the photography. After all, a picture is worth a thousand flavors.

Tags: Behind The Scenes, New Menu
Posted in Behind The Scenes, Food, Fun, New Menu | No Comments »

Hearing You Loud and Clear

Monday, August 9th, 2010

At Texas Steakhouse, we know that our success depends on serving great food at a great value. We also realize that in order to continue exceeding our guests’ expectations, we need to know how we’re doing. Thanks to a revolutionary new guest feedback system called Qore Analytics, you, our guest, now have a direct line to us so we can hear you loud and clear.

I know what you may be thinking, but Qore Analytics is not your average feedback system. Instead, it’s a remarkably simple online survey designed to capture the true experiences of our guests in less than five minutes time. It’s three simple questions, and then we ask you to rate us in areas of importance.

You see, unlike comment cards (where only the good comments seem to make it to the boss), or secret shopper programs (where the “secret” shopper’s identity is no secret at all), Qore Analytics provides us with honest, accurate, bulletproof data about how each one of our restaurants is performing.

And because the results of each guest survey are instantly available to the entire Texas Steakhouse chain-of command, Qore Analytics not only encourages accountability on our part – it requires it.

Furthermore, Qore Analytics was built to allow our managers to personally respond to each guest. This way we can let you know that we’ve heard what you have to say, that we appreciate your thoughts, and that we’re taking the necessary actions to further perfect your dining experience.

Qore Analytics is the comment box for the digital age; it turns every guest into a secret shopper; and it’s helping Texas Steakhouse earn, build and keep your loyalty like never before.

So next time you get home from a meal at Texas Steakhouse, take five minutes to let us know how we’re doing. We’ll even send you a $5.00 OFF coupon good for your next visit!

See ya in Texas!

Terry Smith, President

Posted in Behind The Scenes | 5 Comments »