The Costly Reason To Skip Mac And Cheese At Texas Roadhouse

In their hit song "If I Had $1,000,000," the Barenaked Ladies sing that if they did, in fact, have a million dollars, they "Wouldn't have to eat Kraft dinner ... But we would eat Kraft dinner. Of course we would, we'd just eat more." However, when foodies sit down to eat at a restaurant, they might be frustrated to find they're eating Kraft when expecting something homemade. That's why the ultimate Texas Roadhouse menu hack might just be to skip the mac and cheese, which often comes from a box — the same box many foodies likely have stocked in their pantries at this very moment.

Texas Roadhouse hopped on Twitter back in 2018 to clear the air, posting, "We're sorry about the confusion. The menu says Kraft Mac N Cheese and it is only offered on the Kids Menu. The regular menu has several terrific made-from-scratch sides to choose from." As a few understanding fans commented, labor and operational costs must be factored into the final composite menu price. The food industry at large low-key functions on up-charging for fare that can be found in supermarkets and liquor stores.

It's also worth noting that this does not apply to all locations. Maybe your local Texas Roadhouse serves homemade mac for its kids' menu — in which case, right on. Read the menu closely and keep an eye out for the Kraft label to tell for sure.

According to the Texas Roadhouse website, when ordering takeout from a restaurant in New Rochelle, NY in 2024, the kid's macaroni and cheese costs $6.99. Meanwhile, on Amazon, a whole box of Kraft Mac & Cheese runs for $1.24. Texas Roadhouse's version admittedly comes with a kid's drink and a side dish, which counts for something (the chain caught major heat recently for raising its menu prices three times in less than a single year).

As the Twitter post elucidates, it's true that the Kraft logo is clearly printed beside the mac and cheese offering on the physical menus given to sit-down guests in restaurants. However, the supposed clarity of this point becomes tricky when you hop over to the Texas Roadhouse website and scroll down to the kid's menu, where the mac and cheese option is explicitly listed as "Homemade mac & cheese. The cheesiest Mac in town," and the Kraft logo is nowhere to be found. 

Also notably, mac and cheese appears again on the side dish portion of the menu, where guests have the option to load their mac with cheddar and bacon for $1.49 extra (still no mention of the Kraft logo here). Long story short, if you aren't in the mood to pay more for the same stuff you can (probably) get from the grocery store, you should avoid ordering mac from Texas Roadhouse.