Going to a restaurant often comes with an expectation: Customers want to receive good service, excellent food, and, in some cases, all of the necessary fixings.
But one Texas woman told her audience that she had to bring one of her own fixings from home to enjoy a popular steakhouse.
Viv (@vivisbeautiful) said Texas Roadhouse “no longer” offers A1 sauce, so she had to bring a bottle from home to eat at the restaurant. In her video, which has more than 71,000 views, she even held up the A1 sauce in what appeared to be the Texas Roadhouse parking lot.
Wait, doesn’t Texas Roadhouse have a steak sauce?
Viv seemed mildly frustrated that she had to bring her own steak sauce to Texas Roadhouse. But Texas Roadhouse has two steak sauces—classic and golden—that commenters said she should try.
Texas Roadhouse’s Classic Steak Sauce contains “vinegar, garlic and onion,” and is “a fresh take on the traditional steak sauce flavor,” according to online retailers. According to Mashed, it’s the closest steak sauce to A1 at the restaurant.
In a comparison list, Tasting Table ranked Texas Roadhouse’s Classic Steak House below A1. Writer Koko Paranteau complimented the sauce by saying, “Though I’d never toss aside A1 for Texas Roadhouse’s classic offering, I’d be pleased enough to see a bottle in an in-law’s fridge.”
Texas Roadhouse’s Gold Sauce, by contrast, is a much sweeter offering that contains vinegar, apple butter, and soy sauce. The gold sauce has received praise online from publications and certain subreddits, with Mashed specifically saying that restaurant customers should try it when visiting the chain.
Should steaks even need steak sauce?
In a discussion thread about Texas Roadhouse removing A1 steak sauce from stores across the country, commenters reflected on the “steak sauce debate.” That is, whether a good steak really needs steak sauce.
Online critics say that if the steak was juicy, well-seasoned, and delicious enough by itself, it doesn’t need an accompanying dip into a steak sauce to balance out its flavors. And while Food Republic admits that steak sauce gets a bad rap, many people firmly believe that steak sauce does not belong on steak, even going as far as to say it’s insulting to use it.
Viv’s comment section featured many of those staunch believers.
“If you need A1 sauce on a steak… then it’s not a good steak, in my personal humble opinion,” a TikToker said.
Another added, “A good steak requires no sauce of any kind. But we live in a sauce culture. Americans drowned everything in sauce.”
@vivisbeautiful ♬ original sound – vivisbeautiful
Mourning A1
Outside of Viv’s TikTok comments section, people have criticized the Texas Roadhouse for removing A1 sauce from certain stores. It’s unclear whether the removal of A1 sauce has become a nationwide policy. But on r/texasroadhouse, a customer lamented the loss of A1 after their local Texas Roadhouse removed it. They stated that Texas Roadhouse planned for the removal nationwide.
“100% get [it] if you gotta use A1 then the steak isn’t worth eating. Save those comments. I know I’m buying a $20 ish steak and enjoy it with A1 which has been offered for as long as I can remember,” they said.
Commenters agreed.
“I’m in the ‘good steak doesn’t need sauce’ camp, but any chain place not keeping A1 is just shooting themselves in the foot,” one commenter said. “It’s sooo good. It’s really good on mac & cheese. (and #IYKYK lol).”
“I hate that whole ‘if it’s a good steak you don’t need A1’ mentality,” another commenter added. “People like what they like. While I don’t personally use it on steaks, I do think A1 tastes good, and I get why people enjoy it. It’s no different than putting any other condiments on any other food item.”
Subplot News reached out to Viv via TikTok direct message and Texas Roadhouse via email for comment.
