TikTok user Laz Nina (@the1andonlynina) went viral after calling out a Texas Roadhouse location for purportedly serving her Kraft macaroni and cheese after she ordered a side of the menu item with her meal.
According to Top Restaurant Prices, the popular steakhouse franchise charges $3.99 for an order of mac and cheese. By comparison, you can purchase four boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese from Amazon for $4.79, which comes out to roughly $1.20 per box.
In the video, Nina doesn’t appear too thrilled with the quality of the side dish on her plate, writing in a caption for the video: “not the kraft macaroni and cheese!!”
“Tell me why I came to Texas roadhouse and you how know the prices are, I decided to get a side of mac and cheese,” she starts in the clip. “And tell me why, why is that Kraft macaroni and cheese? Don’t play with me, Texas Roadhouse you gotta do better.”
@the1andonlynina not the kraft macaroni and cheese!! #texasroadhouse #ripoff ♬ original sound – Laz Nina
Texas Roadhouse’s “fact sheet” stresses the “from scratch” nature of its dishes and specifically mentions that the sides at their establishments are handcrafted from the get-go. “Texas Roadhouse is famous for its hand-cut steaks, fall-off-the-bone ribs, made-from-scratch sides, and fresh-baked bread,” the fact-sheet states.
Mashed also penned an article about the success of Texas Roadhouse, stating that all of the food at the establishment is “made from scratch,” heaping on praise for the chain’s bang-for-buck value when the quality of its meals is considered.
Several Trip Advisor reviews of different Texas Roadhouse locations from users appear to corroborate Nina’s experience, pointing out that they believed they, too, were served Kraft Macaroni and Cheese as a side dish.
One user who visited a Charlottesville, Virginia, location wrote, “My husband and I went to Texas Roadhouse yesterday, and he ordered the pulled pork barbecue platter and requested mac and cheese as one of his sides…imagine our surprise when he received Kraft Mac & Cheese in a separate plastic bowl!! You’re paying between $10-$15 a plate and they’re serving a 0.69 cent out of the box mac and cheese which does not compliment the meal at all. This is beyond disappointing when you’re expecting a restaurant quality side dish.”
TikTokers who saw Nina’s post provided a litany of different responses. There were some who didn’t see a problem with the fact that the chain served up Kraft mac and cheese to customers, but there were others who said that the issue wasn’t that they were giving patrons pre-packaged pasta, but that it was an extra add-on option.
“Y’all Missing the point it’s not really that it was Kraft, it’s that they charged EXTRA to have it as a side option,” a user wrote.
Others said that it clearly states the side is Kraft on the menu, however, on the franchise’s website, macaroni and cheese isn’t listed under sides, just under the kids’ meal option. It does not state it is Kraft online.
“The menu at our local Texas Roadhouse clearly states that it’s Kraft – does your Texas Roadhouse not say that on the menu?” a viewer shared.
Some TikTokers thought it was strange that a barbecue restaurant didn’t offer a baked macaroni and cheese option at all, while others said that it’s probably best that they served Kraft as it more than likely appeals to a larger demographic.
“That’s better than the one by my house. Plain butter noodles with shredded cheese on top is what they served me,” a user shared.
“I’ve been sayin this for years! What steakhouse doesn’t have a baked Mac and cheese or something? Even longhorn does,” another wrote.
“They probably gave u the mac from the kids menu. Lots of restaurants have this as the kids’ mac n cheese,” a viewer stated.
And then there were those who speculated that this may be a practice particular to this specific location that Nina visited, stating that the Texas Roadhouse they frequent makes its own macaroni and cheese dish.
“Our Texas Roadhouse in Viera Florida has homemade Mac n cheese,” a user wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nina via TikTok Comment and Texas Roadhouse via email for further information.
