Updated
Updated · KTXS · Aug 25
Texas Roadhouse Denies Food-Tampering Hoax, Hires 3rd-Party Firm After Viral Racism Claims
Updated
Updated · KTXS · Aug 25

Texas Roadhouse Denies Food-Tampering Hoax, Hires 3rd-Party Firm After Viral Racism Claims

3 articles · Updated · KTXS · Aug 25

Summary

  • Texas Roadhouse said its investigation found no credible evidence that food served to Black customers was intentionally tampered with, calling the viral allegation an online hoax.
  • A widely shared Facebook post claimed members of a “White and Proud” group discussed tampering with Black customers’ food at Texas Roadhouse and Logan’s Roadhouse, but it named no city or restaurant and was later deleted.
  • The chain said outside sources also pointed to a hoax, some users who amplified the claim later retracted their posts, and a third-party firm was hired to trace the allegation’s source and motive.
  • At an Abilene, Texas, location, staff referred questions to corporate; a host described business as “pretty slow,” though the report found no evidence tying that restaurant—or any location—to the claims.

Insights

Can a restaurant ever fully recover its reputation after a racially charged food-tampering hoax goes viral online?
Who actually created the deleted social media hoax, and can third-party investigators track down anonymous digital saboteurs?
Why do social media algorithms rapidly amplify unverified rumors before corporate fact-checkers even have a chance to respond?