‘She Tried to Tell Me It Was Pepper’: Missouri Woman Finds Huge Clump of Dirt in Salad at Texas Roadhouse. Then She Wonders Whether It Was Intentional

An internet hoax claiming Texas Roadhouse workers purposefully tamper with Black people’s food in an organized fashion has turned into a viral rumor.

It all started with a Facebook user claiming there’s a group on the platform with “over 400k” servers from both Texas Roadhouse and Logan’s Roadhouse who exclusively spit in Black people’s food.

Texas Roadhouse has since categorically shut the rumor down, but it has still sparked outrage among Black diners online.

Many of them have started sharing stories from their own negative Texas Roadhouse experiences, now seeing them in a new light.

A few days ago, a woman said she was eating a Caesar salad at one of the chain’s restaurants when she bit into something hard: a rolled-up receipt. She said that now, she thinks the incident may have been racially motivated.

Now, another diner with another Caesar salad story says the rumor made her reconsider what happened to her.

In a TikTok video with over 53,800 views, creator Cynthia (@cynflower.xo) says the claims made her think back to an unappetizing Texas Roadhouse experience of her own.

What Does She Say Happened At Texas Roadhouse?

“OK, so I have a horror story from a time I ate at Texas Roadhouse,” Cynthia begins.

She says the experience happened at a Texas Roadhouse in St. Charles, Missouri, six years ago. To back up her story, she pulls up a screenshot of the review she says she posted at the time.

“So I went in there and I ordered a salad, a Caesar salad, and there was dirt in my salad,” she says.

Cynthia also shares photos from the meal. In them, a sizable amount of what appears to be dirt is visibly stuck to the lettuce.

“It’s actually, like, soil,” she says. “Dirt in my salad.”

She says she brought it to her waitress’s attention.

“I remember telling my waitress, like, ‘Hey, there’s dirt in my salad,’” Cynthia recalls. “And she tried to tell me it was pepper.”

“If I could give 0 stars I would!” Cynthia wrote in part in the review. “There were big chunks of dirt in my salad,” she wrote. “Which means they dont wash their lettuce before serving it to you. Which blows my mind!!”

She also complained about how the restaurant allegedly handled the situation.

“Then my waitress tried to say it was pepper, and it seemed like the manager Joesph didnt care to address the situation,” she wrote, adding that it took him around 20 minutes to speak with her.

At the time, Cynthia says she didn’t think anyone had intentionally put dirt in her food. After seeing the recent Texas Roadhouse rumors, however, she started looking at the incident differently.

“I didn’t think it was an intentional thing until all these stories came out,” she says.

How Could Dirt Have Ended Up In The Salad?

While unappetizing and definitely worthy of an apologetic response and compensation from any restaurant that serves it, finding dirt on lettuce isn’t necessarily that unusual.

Diners across different restaurants have reported similar experiences, and improper handling of leafy greens does happen.

In fact, one observational study published in Food Control watched employees handling leafy greens at 16 restaurants and 15 grocery stores in Texas and Ohio. Researchers found “low compliance” with recommended food-safety practices, including poor employee hygiene.

Commenters Share Stories Of Their Own

Several viewers responded with unpleasant Texas Roadhouse experiences of their own.

“Girllllllll last time I ate from them it was maggots in my salad!!!!!!!!!!” one commenter wrote. “It was so many they coming off the lettuce crawling on the plate Never been back same one st.Charles !”

Another viewer said they also had a bad experience around six years ago. “Omg me too! Literally six years ago and there was a rock in my potatoes and it chipped my tooth!! Never been back,” they wrote.

Another Missouri diner said the recent rumors had made them rethink a more recent visit.

“I was at Texas Road house about 2-3 weeks in MO, after ordering our food and food on the table I noticed we were the only black group in the restaurant,” they wrote. “I know I felt uneasy and didn’t want to finish my food and I didn’t.”

@cynflower.xo #greenscreenvideo #texasroadhouse #racism #blacktiktok #fyp @Texas Roadhouse ♬ original sound – Cynthia

The Mary Sue has reached out to Texas Roadhouse via email and Cynthia via TikTok messages for comment.

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