Sharp skills, high steaks
This year, the overall winner was Austin Brown of Greeneville; Best Filet, Jessie Kilgore of Hixon; Best Ribeye, Alex Leon of Pigeon Forge; and Best Sirloin, also Austin Brown.
“This is all of East Tennessee and one store in Virginia,” said Michelle Phelps, Texas Roadhouse marketing coach. “We have 14 stores represented.
“Our market stretches all the way from Bristol, Virginia, all the way to Hickson, Tennessee,” she said.
“Every market does its own qualifier,” Phelps explained. “So, the meat cutters who score the highest — or have the highest yield — will compete in our regionals, typically in January, in Houston, Texas.
And, “every cut-off competition that we have, there’s always a special event,” she said. “So, last night, we took them to Main Event. They had dinner; they got to play games, bowl, shoot pool, whatever they wanted to do.
“When they go to regionals, they will have another fun night for them,” Phelps said. “That’s their reward as they go through is getting to go on these outings and do some fun things.”
Then, the highest regional qualifiers will compete in the national competition in March, according to Phelps.
“This year, it will be in Orlando,” she said. The national company winner wins a $25,000 check from Texas Roadhouse.
Why hold such a competition?
“We hand-cut all of our steaks,” Phelps said. “Our meat cutters are highly trained butchers basically, and every piece of meat that hits our grill, these meat cutters cut, it’s something that we’re very, very proud of. They take pride in their work.”
