TXRH Dine In Requirement Changes

Just got notified there are some changes to the order requirements as of tomorrow 2/1. Now both an appetizer along with a salad as a side are required. Previously it was one or the other. I'm not sure about changes to bar shops but heads up if you have a Feb shop scheduled.

For me, this will now be OOP instead of breaking even. I still love this shop but may take fewer knowing that my bill plus tip will now always be more than $50.

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Nice to know. Thanks for sharing.

Shopping Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi.

I asked for confirmation about any currently-assigned shops. They said the old guidelines still apply. It's only for anything new and beyond. (Old guidelines for food were a meal *or* an appetizer and then the non-water drink.)

So the only changes are the shopper needs to order *both* an appetizer and entree, and one of the entree sides needs to be a salad. It's still an appetizer or entree for the guest, and then only one drink other than water for the entire party.

Also, chili is listed as an appetizer (or 'starter') on the website, so you could get a bowl of that to satisfy that requirement and keep costs down.

I suspect these changes are being made so they can see how well the TXRH team is doing serving both appetizers and side salads. Maybe it'll be permanent, or hopefully it's just for a few months and they make some changes later on.

FYI it also applies to the bar shops.

Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2025 09:44PM by jp43209.

Thanks! I too emailed back because I have a job scheduled tonight. I know it doesn't technically start until tomorrow but I want to implement the change immediately. Applying this to bar shops too seems a little much but I get it. Ordering a drink, chili, salad and meal seems like a lot for someone dining alone at the bar.

I asked about the drink other than water because that's no longer listed on the branded guidelines. I'll still do it, but I can see this being an issue as there is a discrepancy between the guideline wording on the submission site and the branded PDF wording.

I do love the potato skins so now I have even more reason to order them every time!

@jp43209 wrote:

I asked for confirmation about any currently-assigned shops. They said the old guidelines still apply. It's only for anything new and beyond. (Old guidelines for food were a meal *or* an appetizer and then the non-water drink.)

I don't believe you need to order an appetizer and meal (with side salad) for *each* person. That's just the bare minimum instead. That's similar to how you already only need to order at least one drink that isn't water. Also, chili is listed as a starter on the website, so you could get a bowl of that to satisfy that requirement.

I suspect these changes are being made so they can see how well the TXRH team is doing on serving both appetizers and side salads. Maybe it'll be permanent, or hopefully it's just for a few months and they make some changes later on.

FYI it also applies to the bar shops.

The email I got says the changes begin tomorrow, 2/1.

@Momtreal wrote:

Thanks! I too emailed back because I have a job scheduled tonight. I know it doesn't technically start until tomorrow but I want to implement the change immediately. Applying this to bar shops too seems a little much but I get it. Ordering a drink, chili, salad and meal seems like a lot for someone dining alone at the bar.

I asked about the drink other than water because that's no longer listed on the branded guidelines. I'll still do it, but I can see this being an issue as there is a discrepancy between the guideline wording on the submission site and the branded PDF wording.

I do love the potato skins so now I have even more reason to order them every time!
]

I made some edits to my original post, but the part about how currently-assigned shops don't have to follow the new guidelines is still correct. That's the response I got from the MSC itself. But with my shop being on Feb 6 I figure I'll just follow the new guidelines anyway.

For the new requirements, note the salad would be one of your sides for the entree you are already ordering. If you want potato skins, then sure, go for it! But you could just get chili as the appetizer/starter instead. Then for drinks it would appear it's anything other than a water. Those guidelines appear to be the same as before, and I'm not seeing the discrepancy unless they fixed it already.

Hello all! The new guidelines take effect 2/1/25.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2025 09:58PM by RBGRobin.

my fam loves TXRH. wifey birthday and i took them there and spend $60 after tax/tip, but that is because i used a coupon for the birthday appetizer (not allowed on a shop) and only 1 person got a drink that was not free.

The wording is ambiguous. Does each person need to have a non-water beverage?

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

my fam loves TXRH. wifey birthday and i took them there and spend $60 after tax/tip, but that is because i used a coupon for the birthday appetizer (not allowed on a shop) and only 1 person got a drink that was not free.

The wording is ambiguous. Does each person need to have a non-water beverage?

The wording was like that before, and I've never had an issue if only one drink (soda or alcoholic) was ordered and everyone else had water.

Only one non water per party. I double checked.

@RBGRobin wrote:

Hello all! The new guidelines take effect 2/1/25.

You're the best, I appreciate your help tremendously. Looking forward to trying some new apps in the next few months.

Only the shopper is required to order the required purchases - guests can order what they want to eat and drink.

So If I am reading this right I can order like (For example) the Chicken Fried Chicken Meal with Salad and Mash Potatoes with an order of Boneless Wings. Plus Sweet Tea? That is if I go by myself?

ETA; I just looked at the mass email and it said * Food order requirement - The minimum requirement is one appetizer or entr�e plus a drink other than water. If you bring guest(s) can order anything they want.

So the mass email that was sent yesterday that said this needs to be updated?

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2025 03:03AM by Isaiah4031a.

IME, just an observation here, this is the time the bartenders start pointing out to each other, how you know which one is the shopper lol.

The actual guidelines have been updated. If you have a Feb shop scheduled you'll likely get notified of the new requirements via separate email (not the mass email listing all open shops.) They are: 1 appetizer, 1 salad as a side item, 1 beverage other than water. This is for both dine in and bar. It's been confirmed by the scheduler in this thread. It's no longer one or the other-it's both app and salad.

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

So If I am reading this right I can order like (For example) the Chicken Fried Chicken Meal with Salad and Mash Potatoes with an order of Boneless Wings. Plus Sweet Tea? That is if I go by myself?

ETA; I just looked at the mass email and it said * Food order requirement - The minimum requirement is one appetizer or entr�e plus a drink other than water. If you bring guest(s) can order anything they want.

So the mass email that was sent yesterday that said this needs to be updated?

Thanks Momtreal.

I have not done a TRH shop in several months.

I know sometimes (But not all the time) some MSC send out the mass email and then they change the requirements at the last minute and they don't tell any one.

When the person does the shop with the old requirements it either gets rejected or they get a low score with NO FEED BACK .

Good to know, Momtreal! One of the rolls and a salad have always been my appetizer. After that, I'm full and most of the entree goes home for leftovers. I don't mind going out of pocket a bit, but I may rethink what to order.

They also added that each person must order a drink. I normally drink water, and my companion gets tea or an alcoholic drink, so that change added more to the extra charges. The least expensive appetizer plus 2 of the least expensive beverages comes to right at $20 including tax and tip. That leaves $30 for two entrees. Even if you chose the least expensive entrees, tax and tip would add $7-8 to the total, so you would get the cheapest meal at an out-of-pocket cost of $7-8.00. I just finished a shop this afternoon and we were about $20 over since we didn't stick with the least expensive entrees. I still enjoy Roadhouse but won't be as anxious to grab those shops in the future.

@RBGRobin above stated

"Only the shopper is required to order the required purchases - guests can order what they want to eat and drink."

What Robin put above would leave me to believe the other guest(s) could still order water for TXRH shops. I believe that it could/should be worded better. For the other shop they have with the pizza/brewhouse, they specifically state this:

"Shop Requirements Dine-In: EACH guest and the shopper must order an entree and a drink other than water. You may order an alcoholic drink, but you may not order more than one."

@PSE wrote:

They also added that each person must order a drink. I normally drink water, and my companion gets tea or an alcoholic drink, so that change added more to the extra charges. The least expensive appetizer plus 2 of the least expensive beverages comes to right at $20 including tax and tip. That leaves $30 for two entrees. Even if you chose the least expensive entrees, tax and tip would add $7-8 to the total, so you would get the cheapest meal at an out-of-pocket cost of $7-8.00. I just finished a shop this afternoon and we were about $20 over since we didn't stick with the least expensive entrees. I still enjoy Roadhouse but won't be as anxious to grab those shops in the future.

When I go to sit down restaurants (non mystery shops) I always get water. Unless they have a special that comes with a drink or it's a shop that I have to get a drink then I get tea.

I'm fussy about my beverage too--water only.

Since they change the requirements they should increase the reimbursement fee..

I guess you can go by yourself and stay with in the reimbursement fee.

I did a bar shop today. I followed the guidelines but, ironically the receipt just lists my entree, not the sides, and there is still not a single question related to the delivery of the appetizer or the salad side. With my iced tea I still ended up ten bucks under reimbursement, so I guess in the future I could always order a third side if I really wanted. I was thinking of getting dessert just to use up the rest of the reimbursement but it took an hour just to get through the first two courses and I didn't have time to stick around.

Thanks. I had a shop for Feb that I assigned in Jan. I didn't realize that the ordering requirements were different until I reviewed the survey right before we went. This will now be out of pocket for us, more than the usual few dollars. I did not get any kind of notice and was coming here to let everyone know. I'm happy to see there was a thread already started. It looked like based on the requirements that both people needed to order a non-water beverage. Robin said that's not the case, so I'll go with that. Unless both people order burgers or similar, you will be over the reimbursement. I hope they increase the reimbursement considering the requirements have now changed and they aren't paid outside of the reimbursement.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2025 01:42PM by Niner.

@NinS wrote:

I did a bar shop today. I followed the guidelines but, ironically the receipt just lists my entree, not the sides, and there is still not a single question related to the delivery of the appetizer or the salad side. With my iced tea I still ended up ten bucks under reimbursement, so I guess in the future I could always order a third side if I really wanted. I was thinking of getting dessert just to use up the rest of the reimbursement but it took an hour just to get through the first two courses and I didn't have time to stick around.

It has been a while since I have done an TRH house shop but if I remember on the ticket it does not list the side items.. It only list the appetizer, the main meal, and the dessert, and the drinks.

The requirements say "order at least one drink per guest." It doesn't say on the guidelines that water is an option. On the table shop itself, it said minimum order was "appetizer or entree and a drink." Hopefully, this will be changed so people don't get confused.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2025 02:07PM by Niner.

I did make this suggestion as well because the guidelines do indicate all members must order a beverage. This is not the case. Only the shopper needs to order a non water beverage.

@Niner wrote:

The requirements say "order at least one drink per guest." It doesn't say on the guidelines that water is an option. On the table shop itself, it said minimum order was "appetizer or entree and a drink." Hopefully, this will be changed so people don't get confused.

This guideline is silly:

"Begin timing for the entrée when order is placed. Allow 1-3 minutes to enter order in the computer."

I am assuming we just mark the time when we order and mark when we receive it as always. All that would matter to the guest is how long it took to receive it, not how fast they put the order in the computer. Also, how would we know how fast the order is put in? The entree is supposed to come within 15 minutes. So, am I supposed to mark it "yes" if it came in 18 minutes to allow for entering in the computer? Why not just make the guideline 18 minutes then? It seems superfluous. I'm always amazed by ambiguous guidelines.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2025 07:38PM by JimmyP.

Seems to me a little odd that shoppers were only notified of the changes the evening before they went into effect - such that many shoppers had already signed up in January under the old guidelines, not knowing they were going to change by the time they did the shop. Seems like someone must have known sooner than less than 24 hours beforehand.

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