Walking into your local Texas Roadhouse means free peanuts, warm rolls, and those line dances the servers do every hour. What you might not know is that same restaurant offers five completely different ways to raise money for your PTA or nonprofit.
You can host a dining event where you do almost nothing, sell branded peanut bags with free appetizer coupons attached, coordinate frozen roll sales, set up passive gift card links, or send direct donation asks.
Each method has different profit potential, time requirements, and volunteer needs.
This Texas Roadhouse fundraising review breaks down exactly what each option requires so you can pick the right fit for your situation.
What Texas Roadhouse Actually Offers
Texas Roadhouse runs five separate fundraising programs. You can use one or combine several throughout the year.
Dine to Donate let’s you pick a date and time window. Your supporters eat at the restaurant during those hours and tell their server they’re part of your fundraiser.
Texas Roadhouse donates a percentage of those sales back to your organization.
You get the check within four to six weeks.
Peanut Sales work differently. You buy bags of peanuts from the restaurant for $1 each, then resell them at whatever price you choose.
Each bag includes a coupon for a free appetizer.
Groups have charged anywhere from $5 to $8 per bag depending on their community. You keep the difference as profit.
Roll Sales follow a pre-order model. You collect orders using a form, send the total to the restaurant, then pick up frozen dinner rolls and honey cinnamon butter to distribute.
Groups typically see around 50% profit margins on roll sales.
Gift Card Fundraising through RaiseRight gives you a unique link and code. Supporters buy gift cards online (not just Texas Roadhouse, but hundreds of retailers), and around 8% comes back to your organization.
This runs year-round with zero inventory or volunteer coordination.
Donation Requests mean you directly ask your local Texas Roadhouse for money, gift cards, or food items. You send an application through TheShareWay or contact the manager directly.
About 22% of asks get approved, 16% get declined, and 62% never receive a response.
Ready to start your fundraiser? Contact your local Texas Roadhouse to confirm which programs they offer in your area
Breaking Down the Dine to Donate Option
Dine to Donate solves the biggest problem most PTAs face: getting people to show up without managing complex logistics.
You contact your local Texas Roadhouse at least two weeks before your preferred date. The restaurant confirms availability and provides you with flyers to share.
You promote the event through emails, social media, and flyers sent home in backpacks.
Supporters simply show up during your designated time window (usually a 4-6 hour block) and tell their server they’re part of the fundraiser.
The restaurant tracks sales from your group and sends you a check for 10-15% of the total within four to six weeks. Average entrees cost around $16, which means each person who eats generates roughly $1.60 to $2.40 for your organization.
You need volume to make this worthwhile. Twenty people eating generates different results than 200 people eating.
But here’s what makes this work: supporters bring family members, coworkers, and friends who might never donate to a traditional fundraiser.
You’re expanding your donor base without asking people to write checks.
The time investment is minimal. One person can coordinate this entire event.
You send the initial ask, distribute promotional materials, and show up to thank people.
No money collection, no inventory management, no volunteer shifts.
When Dine to Donate Works Best
This format succeeds when you have strong communication channels with your supporters. PTAs with active email lists and social media groups see better turnout.
Sports teams where parents already gather regularly can promote effectively.
Church groups with built-in weekly announcements fill restaurants quickly.
Fall and spring typically see better results than summer when families travel more. Avoid major holidays when people have existing plans.
Pick Tuesday through Thursday nights when restaurants appreciate the business and families are looking for easy dinner solutions.
Understanding Peanut and Roll Sales
Product sales need more hands-on work but give you control over profit margins.
For peanut sales, you contact your local Texas Roadhouse and order bags in bulk. Each bag costs $1.
The restaurant customizes bags with your organization’s name and logo if you want branding.
Each bag includes a coupon for a free appetizer at Texas Roadhouse.
You set your own selling price. Groups in wealthier areas charge $8 per bag and earn $7 profit per sale.
Groups in budget-conscious communities charge $5 per bag and earn $4 profit.
The free appetizer coupon (valued around $6-8) makes the purchase feel worthwhile even at higher price points.
The logistics look like this: you order bags, pick them up from the restaurant, distribute them to volunteers or team members, collect money, and track inventory. You need someone willing to manage spreadsheets and coordinate distribution.
Roll sales work similarly but use pre-orders instead of upfront inventory purchases. You distribute order forms to supporters, collect orders and payment, send the total order to Texas Roadhouse, then pick up frozen rolls and butter to distribute back to buyers.
The restaurant provides the order forms.
You handle collection and distribution.
Both methods generate higher per-unit profit than Dine to Donate, but they need volunteer capacity. If you have three reliable people willing to manage this project, product sales make sense.
If you’re already stretched thin, the extra coordination creates stress.
Need fundraising tools and templates? Download free PTA fundraising planning worksheets
| Fundraising Method | Time Investment | Volunteer Needs | Lead Time Required | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dine to Donate | Low (2-3 hours total) | 1-2 people | 2 weeks minimum | Groups with thin volunteer capacity |
| Peanut Sales | Medium (6-8 hours) | 3-5 people | 2-3 weeks | Teams and schools with dedicated sellers |
| Roll Sales | Medium (5-7 hours) | 2-4 people | 3-4 weeks | Holiday fundraisers with pre-order model |
| Gift Card Fundraising | Very Low (1 hour setup) | 1 person | Immediate | Ongoing passive income stream |
| Donation Requests | Low (1-2 hours) | 1 person | 30 days minimum | Established nonprofits seeking in-kind support |
The Gift Card Approach Nobody Talks About
Gift card fundraising through RaiseRight sits quietly in the background of this Texas Roadhouse fundraising review, but it deserves attention.
You sign up your organization on the RaiseRight platform, receive a unique enrollment code and link, then share that link everywhere. Supporters use your link to buy gift cards from hundreds of retailers (including Texas Roadhouse, and grocery stores, gas stations, Amazon, and more).
Around 8% of each purchase comes back to your organization.
This works because supporters buy gift cards they were already going to use. Someone buying $100 in grocery store gift cards generates $8 for your PTA without spending extra money.
They were buying groceries anyway.
The setup takes less than an hour. You create an account, get your custom link, and start sharing.
Put it in your email signature, on your website footer, in your Facebook group description, and in monthly newsletters.
Send reminders before major shopping seasons (back to school, holidays, summer vacation).
This generates small, consistent revenue without requiring event management. You won’t raise thousands in a weekend, but you’ll see steady contributions over months.
Groups that promote their RaiseRight link consistently see better results than groups that mention it once and forget about it.
What Actually Happens With Donation Requests
Donation asks have the lowest approval rate of any option in this Texas Roadhouse fundraising review, but they cost you almost nothing to try.
You send an application through TheShareWay (the platform Texas Roadhouse uses to manage donation asks) or contact your local restaurant manager directly. You need to send at least 30 days before you need the donation.
Applications need your organization’s basic information, tax ID number, mission statement, and specific ask details.
About 22% of applications get approved. The approval rate matters less than how you write the application. Generic asks (“We need money for our school”) get ignored. Specific asks with clear impact statements get responses.
Compare these two approaches:
Generic ask: “Our PTA is raising money for school supplies. Can you donate gift cards?”
Specific ask: “Our PTA serves 450 students at Lincoln Elementary, where 60% of families qualify for free and reduced lunch. We’re requesting four $25 gift cards to include in our Teacher Appreciation Week baskets for staff members who purchased classroom supplies out of pocket this year.”
The second ask tells the restaurant exactly what you need, why you need it, who benefits, and when you need it by. Managers respond to specificity.
Even when asks get declined, you’ve only invested 30 minutes writing an application. Submit asks to many locations if you have several Texas Roadhouse restaurants in your area.
Treat this as a supplemental strategy, not your primary fundraising method.
Want a donation ask template that actually works? Download proven nonprofit donation ask letters
Real Feedback From Organizations Using These Programs
User reviews on TheShareWay consistently describe Texas Roadhouse as responsive and easy to work with. Organizations report receiving prompt responses to initial inquiries, clear communication about program details, and reliable follow-through on commitments.
PTAs specifically mention appreciation for the many options available. One coordinator can choose the program that fits their current capacity instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.
Sports teams favor peanut sales because team members actively sell to family, neighbors, and coworkers. The free appetizer coupon creates value that justifies higher prices.
Parents report that kids enjoy participating in sales, which builds team unity beyond just raising money.
Church groups and community nonprofits use Dine to Donate most often. The passive nature fits volunteer-constrained organizations.
Announcements during services, posts in bulletins, and social media promotion drive attendance without requiring complex coordination.
The main complaint across all programs involves inconsistency between locations. Some Texas Roadhouse restaurants offer all five programs.
Others only support Dine to Donate and donation asks.
You must contact your specific location to confirm which programs they participate in before planning your fundraiser.
Matching Methods to Your Actual Situation
Your volunteer capacity decides which option makes sense.
If you have one person willing to coordinate a fundraiser and no volunteer bench beyond that, stick with Dine to Donate or gift card fundraising. Both need minimal hands-on management.
You promote, people join, and money arrives later.
If you have 3-5 reliable volunteers who can commit to a project over several weeks, product sales (peanuts or rolls) generate higher profit margins. You’ll invest more time but see better per-person returns.
Your timeline matters equally. Dine to Donate needs two weeks minimum.
Donation asks need 30 days.
If you’re three weeks out from your event and need fundraising now, gift card fundraising through RaiseRight starts immediately.
Your audience size affects which method works best. Small organizations with 20-30 active families see better results from product sales where each family buys many items.
Large organizations with 200+ families get better results from Dine to Donate where volume drives total revenue.
Geographic location plays a role. If your supporters live spread across a wide area, getting everyone to one restaurant on one night becomes challenging.
Gift card fundraising works better for geographically dispersed groups.
If everyone lives within 10 minutes of the same Texas Roadhouse, Dine to Donate makes perfect sense.
Practical Tips That Actually Improve Results
Promote your Dine to Donate event in waves. Send the initial announcement three weeks out.
Send a reminder one week before.
Send a final reminder the morning of the event. People need many touches to remember and commit.
For product sales, offer delivery. Parents buying five bags of peanuts or three dozen rolls don’t want to drive to a pickup location.
Volunteers delivering orders to homes or workplaces remove friction and increase sales.
Customize your peanut bags with event-specific information, not just your organization name. A bag that says “Lincoln Elementary Fall Festival 2024” feels special.
A generic bag with just “Lincoln Elementary” feels like every other fundraiser.
Stack many Texas Roadhouse fundraising methods throughout the year instead of picking one. Run Dine to Donate in September, peanut sales in November, roll sales in December, and keep gift card fundraising active year-round.
This creates many revenue streams without burning out volunteers or supporters.
Set up your RaiseRight gift card link once and promote it repeatedly. Add it to every communication your organization sends.
Most supporters don’t reject the idea of gift card fundraising, they simply forget the link exists.
Repeated reminders normalize the option.
For donation asks, send professional applications using letterhead. Include photos of previous events or programs.
Attach your IRS determination letter proving nonprofit status.
Applications that look official get taken seriously.
Time your Dine to Donate events strategically. Back-to-school season (late August through September) captures families establishing new routines.
Spring season (March through May) catches people before summer vacation disrupts schedules.
Avoid December when people have too many competing obligations.
Need help planning your fundraising calendar? Get the free nonprofit fundraising timeline template
The Honest Truth About Texas Roadhouse Fundraising
This Texas Roadhouse fundraising review confirms that these programs work exactly as advertised. You won’t replace your entire fundraising budget with one restaurant event. You will generate meaningful contributions with relatively low time investment.
The five-option structure solves the problem that kills most fundraising partnerships: rigidity. You can choose the approach that fits your current capacity, supporter base, and timeline.
A PTA with strong volunteer participation can maximize product sales.
A nonprofit with thin volunteer capacity can stick to passive dining events or gift card programs.
Texas Roadhouse has run these programs for years. They’re not experimenting with fundraising partnerships, they’re executing established processes.
You get predictable timelines, clear communication, and reliable follow-through.
The inconsistency between locations stays frustrating. You must contact your specific restaurant to confirm program availability before planning anything.
Budget extra time for this initial inquiry.
For PTAs, school groups, sports teams, and community nonprofits managing tight schedules and limited volunteer capacity, Texas Roadhouse offers legitimate options that respect both your time and your fundraising goals. Pick the method that matches your situation, promote consistently, and you’ll see results that justify the effort.