The Odd Dancing Rule Some Texas Roadhouse Employees Are Required To Follow

Waiting tables is not a glamorous job, but it can certainly teach you a lot about humanity. One of our favorite quotes about working in the restaurant industry goes, "The work is thankless and fun and messy, and the world would be a kinder place if more people tried it." As a server, I've had incredible days with memorable interactions, and nightmare days that I wish I could forget– but the excitement lay in not knowing which one you get. That said, I never had to take line-dancing classes, and for that, I'm eternally grateful.

Unfortunately, or, maybe fortunately (depending on what your opinion of work-mandated dancing is), if you're employed at Texas Roadhouse, a notoriously noisy and boisterous restaurant chain, there's a chance you might have to boogie down during your shifts. According to one Reddit user, they were not only required to line dance every hour of their shift, but they also had to take line dancing classes — a terrifying job requirement for those who have two-left feet and no sense of rhythm.

While it's hard to tell which locations participate in this dancing tradition without visiting all 700+ restaurants, we did a bit of Google review searching and found the term "dancing" come up at a number of locations located in Washington State, Illinois, and of course Texas. However, the East Coast locations we looked up, including New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, had no mention of dancing. Also, we peeked at reviews for the first-ever Texas Roadhouse, ironically in Clarksville, Indiana, and didn't see any mention of dancing either, so it seems like catching a glimpse of the two-step with a side of rolls is a case-by-case basis.

There was even a Texas Roadhouse in Witchita, Kansas that unknowingly broke the law with their hourly line dancing due to a little-known, "Footloose"-sounding city provision that requires permits for any establishment with alcohol and dancing. Luckily, the restaurant filed for the right licenses, essentially listing themselves as a "night club," and got the approval needed for above-the-board line dancing. According to the owner of the Witchita location, Mike Parratino, the dancing is baked into the Texas Roadhouse ethos. "It's just part of what we do at Texas Roadhouse, have some fun and keep the energy up and guests love it," he told The Wichita Eagle. So if you're thinking of applying for a job at Texas Roadhouse, you'd better do your stretches and dust off your cowboy boots.