Texas Roadhouse Chicken Alfredo Pasta Reaches 600 Restaurants as Fans Split Over the Steakhouse’s Boldest Menu Move

Texas Roadhouse has added Chicken Alfredo Pasta to menus at more than 600 of its restaurants, bringing a creamy penne dish topped with grilled chicken and crispy bacon to a steakhouse chain famous for steaks and ribs. The rollout was confirmed on the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Thursday 5 November 2026, and the chain plans to offer the pasta at every location by the spring 2027 menu.

A steakhouse takes on pasta — and the test numbers behind the rollout

Texas Roadhouse did not rush the dish onto menus nationwide. The chain first tested Chicken Alfredo Pasta in 100 restaurants, where operators and guests responded well enough to justify expanding the trial to 100 more locations. A further 400 restaurants then opted in to add the pasta to the October menu, taking the total past 600. Chief executive Gerald “Jerry” Morgan told investors on the 5 November earnings call that operators had been asking for a new menu item, and the pasta answered that request. Vice president Michael Bailen was candid about expectations, saying the dish is “probably not going to be one of our top 10 mix entrée items” but “rounds out the menu” as a choice for guests who want something different.

What the dish is — and why some regulars are not convinced

The pasta itself is straightforward: penne coated in a creamy, cheesy Alfredo sauce, topped with the chain’s signature grilled chicken and plenty of crispy bacon bits, served with a choice of one side. According to reports, the new dish features grilled chicken, bacon and creamy Parmesan cheese sauce over penne, served with a choice of one side. Reactions among devoted customers have been divided. Some fans say the pasta rivals dishes from Italian-American chains, while others argue a steakhouse should stick to steaks, ribs and chicken. The split is a familiar risk for a brand built on a narrow identity: a new dish can widen the audience, but it can also dilute what regulars love.

The drinks experiment running alongside the pasta

The pasta is not the only test on the menu. Texas Roadhouse is adding the Chicken Alfredo Pasta to more than 600 locations while also seeing continued demand for mocktails and dirty sodas, and it is now testing nonalcoholic “energizer” drinks across all three of its brands — Texas Roadhouse, Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers. The drinks push shows the chain is using its beverage menu to attract guests who are drinking less alcohol, a shift other casual-dining chains are also chasing — as seen in the seasonal rush around Starbucks Red Cup Day 2026.

What the numbers say about the business behind the menu

The menu changes arrive as the chain’s trading strengthens. Executives said sales and traffic improved each week in October and continued to strengthen in early November, after same-store sales slowed to a positive 1% in September. Through the third quarter, same-store sales were up 5.9% compared with the same period in 2025, and the company reiterated expectations of positive same-store sales growth for the year. The chain expects to open about 35 company-owned restaurants across its three brands in 2026, with another 35 planned for 2027. The quarter was not without a setback: a fake social media post accusing Texas Roadhouse workers of racist behaviour hurt business in the third quarter, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. Food safety has also been in the headlines this month, including the Baxters soup recall, a reminder of how quickly trust can shift for food brands.

Texas Roadhouse pasta questions, answered

What is in Texas Roadhouse Chicken Alfredo Pasta? — Penne in a creamy Parmesan Alfredo sauce, topped with grilled chicken and crispy bacon, served with one side.

How many restaurants serve it? — More than 600, with the remaining roughly 100 locations due to add it by the spring 2027 menu.

How much does it cost? — Texas Roadhouse has not published a national price. One Texas location menu in May showed $17.99, and prices vary by restaurant.

When was it announced? — On the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Thursday 5 November 2026.

Is Texas Roadhouse testing anything else? — Yes — nonalcoholic “energizer” drinks across its three brands, alongside continued demand for mocktails and dirty sodas.

No — the pasta is not replacing steak. Executives describe it as an addition that rounds out the menu, and the chain’s core remains steaks, ribs, chicken and fish entrées.