It's cold as a witch's you-know-what out, and must be just as cold in hell today. I got an email for a Texas Roadhouse dining-room shop at my local one -- with a $20 bonus! I've been shopping that location for almost two years, and they never, ever have a problem filling them. And never, ever have offered a bonus on them. Maybe a $5 on the at-the-bar shops, but not for the dining-room shops. I don't think my area is saturated with shoppers, but whatever ones there are here must swoop in and grab these as soon as they're posted. The rotation doesn't seem to have had a negative impact on the MSC's ability to fill them, either.

I had to request being assigned because my rotation period isn't up yet. But all those other shoppers have probably applied, too.

From what I'm seeing on my job board, these might be getting harder to fill due to the higher prices and stagnant reimbursement. After the last one I did, I was considering not doing one again. We don't mind being a little out of pocket, but even being conservative, we were out more last time than what seemed worthwhile.

Wednesdays are $9.99 8 oz. sirloin day.

I always go Wed.

Well, hell is still hot. I was assigned the shop, went to log in to confirm, and voila! The bonus had magically disappeared. So I wrote to the scheduler wondering what happened to it and telling her I couldn't do it without the bonus. She cancelled it for me. I followed up with her asking if she knew why there was a bonus one minute and not the next, but I haven't heard back from her.

If any of you see a TRH shop with an unusually large bonus, double check that!

I still haven't figured out why anyone would eat sirloin unless it was ground into a hamburger. No offense, but that Wednesday special is nothing special to me.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I still haven't figured out why anyone would eat sirloin unless it was ground into a hamburger. No offense, but that Wednesday special is nothing special to me.

Are you a food snob?

If NOT for the unhealthiness of it, I'd be glad to eat fast food all the time too!

Ever watch mukbangs (like Beeloveslife or Ben Deen) or like Daym Drops food reviews on YouTube? Mouth-watering!

I can appreciate the taste of lots of foods. Sirloin is nowhere near bad food to me!

Sonic sort of is. But when I'm hungry, I even enjoy their cheeseburgers.

Yes, I probably am a food snob. I have had ground sirloin burgers before, but it's not my favorite thing. As far as steak goes, I have tried them all, and I am a Delmonico, bone-in ribeye, or filet mignon kind of gal.

I ate a bite of a Sonic burger once and was so disgusted I never ate there again, even with the offered bonuses.

In my area, the Roadhouse jobs being offered at some locations have a much higher bonus than in the past. I think the problem is a combination of price increases and inflation combining to lower the value of the shop. In the 11 1/2 years since I completed my first work at TRH, they have increased the price on at least two occasions. As I only apply for the bar jobs and I am a veteran, it has not as yet been a problem for me. The work:reward ratio is quite acceptable to me and the food is superb.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I still haven't figured out why anyone would eat sirloin unless it was ground into a hamburger. No offense, but that Wednesday special is nothing special to me.

Sirloin prepared and grilled at home can be delicious. You just have to know what you're doing in prepping it. However, given my druthers, I'd druther have a NY Strip or a ribeye. Not a fan of filet mignon, unless it's done perfectly (which isn't too often, in my experience!).

Everything cooked at home is better! I'd druther have a ribeye, too, LOL! At home, I have special marinade that I use for steaks and my filet mignon comes out perfect most of the time. I will always opt for a more tender cut of meat than sirloin, even at home. Ribeyes are so beautifully marbled, tender and flavorful, just the best!

Once, I got a $5 bonus. The normal "bonus" is an offer to waive rotations.

I think the most bonus I ever got was a dinner at the bar shop for $4. I did see one once for $20 at a location not far from me that I would have done if I didn't already have dinner plans that night somewhere else.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I think the most bonus I ever got was a dinner at the bar shop for $4. I did see one once for $20 at a location not far from me that I would have done if I didn't already have dinner plans that night somewhere else.

There are two locations south of me that are always going unfilled, and they sometimes offer a fairly generous bonus. But they're too far for us to go, especially in the winter. If we were to happen to be driving down that way anyway and that coincided with a bonused dinner shop, we'd do it. But not driving 50 miles to just do that! LOL.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Everything cooked at home is better! I'd druther have a ribeye, too, LOL! At home, I have special marinade that I use for steaks and my filet mignon comes out perfect most of the time. I will always opt for a more tender cut of meat than sirloin, even at home. Ribeyes are so beautifully marbled, tender and flavorful, just the best!

I sometimes buy sirloin on sale and will marinate it in red wine, olive oil, and garlic and/or various spices. I let it marinate for 24 hours, and it's so tender and tasty. But you gotta marinate it at least overnight.

Now I'm hungry for steak!

I love the fat content on a ribeye, you know, when it gets crispy and seared...

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I love the fat content on a ribeye, you know, when it gets crispy and seared...

That's the best! My husband and I fight over it!

I always get bone-in ribeyes, and then I put the bones in the crockpot for soup, stew, or as a beginning for red pasta sauce.

Oh, and BTW, yes, it's a cold day in hell here. It's 17F out right now, not including wind chill.

I've noticed in Northern Colorado, those shops are sitting on the board longer and longer.

Several years ago, those flew off the boards, and I was one of the many shoppers who waited, drooling, for them to appear on the boards so that I could swoop them up right at the end of my rotation. I used to do them all the way from Northern Colorado to Denver, picking up a couple a week. And I used to take my kids with me. All those years ago, I just had 3 kids. Now I have a 4th, so I can't take all my family anymore.

I also think that for the price for my husb and I to go to TRH, it's over $50 now. I just don't have the extra $15-plus to spend on a dinner shop anymore. So I don't pick them up

Once, a couple months ago, I offered to do one for a $5 bonus. I got the shop and within a few minutes, it was cancelled, with a notation that another shopper had picked it up without the bonus.

They always get bonused where I live. I assume it's because I live in Mormon-ville and the Mo's don't drink, which is required for one of the shops.

nixkit states--They always get bonused where I live. I assume it's because I live in Mormon-ville and the Mo's don't drink, which is required for one of the shops.

Bob's comment--That may be true where you live, but in neither Ohio nor Indiana is alcohol required for either the dining room or bar shops.

I think that the bar shop is the same in all states. You don't have to order alcohol. Maybe Mormon shoppers don't want to sit next to anyone who is drinking since they don't do it themselves. Or maybe they are afraid that someone will see them at the bar and assume they were drinking.

@shopperbob wrote:

In my area, the Roadhouse jobs being offered at some locations have a much higher bonus than in the past. I think the problem is a combination of price increases and inflation combining to lower the value of the shop. In the 11 1/2 years since I completed my first work at TRH, they have increased the price on at least two occasions. As I only apply for the bar jobs and I am a veteran, it has not as yet been a problem for me. The work:reward ratio is quite acceptable to me and the food is superb.

Agree the food is superb.

I think the $35.00 reimb. is on the lower side for comparable shops. Usually $45.00 is the lowest, while $50.00 is probably the norm for this type of restaurant/report. I feel the report is slightly easier than comp. shops and I like to food more, so it's worth it for me too.

The only thing I dislike about pretty much ALL restaurant shops (usually), is that one person usually has to order a sub-optimal entree to stay under reimbursement. It's hard to find a restaurant shop where the reimb. is high enough that you and your guest can both order a top-notch item on the menu.

I've said before that this stinks for a few reasons. The first is that obviously someone "loses" out at times on these shops when ordering (unless your share). Person A might get a wonderful New York strip, while Person B gets like their generic Cheeseburger.

And, secondly, the restaurant itself may not get important feedback on its signature items. If, for example, your restaurant is KNOWN for high quality seafood, but your shops don't reimburse enough that shoppers can order those items and stay within budget, then you may not get the feedback you want. Instead of getting potentially valuable feedback on your restaurant's famous sea bass, you get it for country fried chicken/steak that the guest was forced to order.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2020 06:41AM by shoptastic.

What are the reports like? Is there a massive write up involved? There have been 2 of them in my area sitting for weeks now. The only bonus that the scheduler is putting on them is that he will waive the 90day rotation.

The report is easy. There are short narratives. You just have to observe what is happening at the bar. Did the bartenders talk to you and other guests. Did a manager talk to you. Was your name used. Did they mention the items that Texas Roadhouse is famous for (hand cut steaks, fresh baked bread, legendary margaritas etc). Were people under 30 carded. If you search other threads, there are people who say they do these reports in 15 minutes. I take a little bit longer, but always under 30. I just noticed that a location that is never bonused has a bonus of $8. I have to go claim a shop....

Well good luck with those. I do not think I will be interested in those shops.