Starter Prices: What Each One Costs Per Person
Eleven starters run from $3.99 to $12.99. Because most are shared, the useful figure is not the menu price but what it comes to per person.
On that basis they separate more sharply than the price list suggests.
The full list
Texas Red Chili cup $3.99, bowl $4.99. Fried Pickles $6.99. Twisted Mozzarella $7.49. Cactus Blossom $7.99. Rattlesnake Bites $7.99. Tater Skins $7.99. Grilled Shrimp $7.99. Cheese Fries $8.99. Boneless Buffalo Wings $9.99. Killer Ribs $11.99. Combo Appetizer $12.99.
Split four ways, the Cactus Blossom is $2 per person and 560 calories. The Combo Appetizer is $3.25 per person and between 230 and 345 calories depending which three items you choose.
The two that are not really starters
Killer Ribs at $11.99 is a basket of ribs with steak fries. That is a main course by any reasonable definition, and at 910 calories it eats like one. As a shared appetiser it is expensive; as a cheap main it is among the best value on the menu.
Texas Red Chili at $3.99 for a cup is the cheapest hot item on the menu at 230 calories. It also appears on the sides list at the same price, which makes it the most flexible item on the board.
- Cheapest — Texas Red Chili cup, $3.99
- Lightest — Grilled Shrimp, 360 cal
- Heaviest — Cactus Blossom, 2,250 cal
- Most expensive — Combo Appetizer, $12.99
- Really a main — Killer Ribs, $11.99
The only one that does not reshape the meal
Grilled Shrimp at $7.99 and 360 calories is the lightest starter by a wide margin — a fifth of the Tater Skins and a sixth of the Cactus Blossom.
Every other starter contributes more calories than several entrées do. A Cactus Blossom shared four ways still adds more than a 6oz sirloin.
That is not an argument against ordering one. It is an argument for treating a starter as part of the meal rather than as something that sits outside it.
Frequently asked
Which starter is best value?
Texas Red Chili at $3.99 for the cheapest hot item, or the Cactus Blossom at $2 per person split four ways.
Which is lightest?
Grilled Shrimp at 360 calories, the only starter that does not materially change the meal.
Is the Combo Appetizer good value?
At $12.99 for three items it is cheaper than ordering three separately, and it lets a table try more. The calorie range of 920 to 1,380 depends which three you pick.
Keep reading
The Starter Menu, Explained
"Rattlesnake Bites" and "Cactus Blossom" describe neither ingredient nor format. Here is what each one actually is.
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The Highest-Calorie Items on the Menu
The heaviest thing on the menu is an appetiser, and it beats every steak on the board.
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The Cheapest Ways to Eat Here
Six routes to a full meal under $13, and the cheapest adult plate is not on the page anyone looks at.
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