Texas Roadhouse

The chain found no evidence that employees were tampering with food. | Photo: Shutterstock

Texas Roadhouse says a viral Facebook post alleging racist behavior by employees was a hoax. 

In the now-deleted post, a user named Nancy Smith wrote that servers and cooks at Texas Roadhouse and Logan’s Roadhouse were planning to tamper with Black diners’ meals by licking their fingers and then touching the food. The post referenced a group of 400,000 people who were apparently in on the plan. 

According to a screenshot, the post was made in a Facebook group called White and Proud. The screenshot began circulating on TikTok over the weekend, sparking outrage from many social media users, some of whom said they would stop eating at the chain. 

Texas Roadhouse responded with a TikTok post on Sunday, calling the accusations “abhorrent” and saying it had launched an investigation. 

That investigation concluded that the post was fake, Texas Roadhouse Chief Communications Officer Travis Doster said on Wednesday. The company found no evidence that employees had tampered with Black customers’ food or of the supposed 400,000-member group, he said.

Texas Roadhouse also hired a third-party firm to look into the post. It uncovered suspicious activity on the Nancy Smith account, which was created, changed names, and then deleted, Doster said.

Fact-checking site Snopes also concluded that the allegations were unfounded, and several TikTok users who amplified the post have said that it was a hoax after initially believing it was real. 

The third-party firm is continuing to investigate who was behind the post and why it was made. 

“I don't know why somebody would perpetrate it, but it's too bad,” Doster said. “It's very sad for our guests and our employees.”

So far, Texas Roadhouse has not seen any impact on its business due to backlash over the post, he said. The 755-unit steakhouse chain has been one of the industry’s top performers for years, with more than 60 straight quarters of same-store sales growth. 

“We’ve had a lot of guests reach out to see if it's true or find out more information,” Doster said. “We get a lot of anecdotal stories, but we've seen no impact.”

Logan’s Roadhouse had not responded to a request for comment.

The post is the latest example of how false or misleading narratives about a restaurant can take on a life of their own on social media. Earlier this year, for instance, Texas Roadhouse had to deny rumors that it hides cameras in its dining room light fixtures after the false claim spread on TikTok. 

It is one of many restaurant companies, including Chipotle, BJ’s Restaurants, DoorDash, and others, to battle online misinformation this year. 

This “fake news” can have a real impact on restaurants, as Cracker Barrel learned last summer when a new logo and remodel package sparked a widespread outcry. Research firm PeakMetrics later found that much of the reaction was likely fueled by social media bots. But the damage was done: Cracker Barrel’s traffic and sales plummeted in the aftermath, and the brand is still working to recover.   

“Hopefully as these things happen, people research and ask questions to see if something's true,” Doster said. “I don't understand the bad actors out there that think this is something fun. Because it has lots of ramifications for a lot of people.”

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