Changes in the topographical features of food during thermal processing, e.g., surface and bulk shrinkage during drying, may protect microbial cells from direct exposure to heat. Knowledge of the effects of the surface topographical features and their changes on microbial cell behavior is thus of interest. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of artificially prepared topographical features on the attachment ability and heat resistance of Salmonella on model food surface during hot air drying. Carrot was used as a model food material. Carrot sticks (3 × 1 × 1 cm) were artificially textured on one side with either shark tooth or wavy (crinkle) cut; the cut was artificially made to amplify the possible effect of surface roughness, which resembles topographical features of food surface and their changes, on the bacterial cell behavior. The degree of roughness was varied in the range of 20–80% of the total height of a stick. Approximately 0.2–0.7 log increase in the number of Salmonella was observed on the rough surfaces as compared to smooth control samples since larger surface areas were available for bacterial cell attachment. Salmonella attached on the surfaces with higher wave height also exhibited higher heat resistance (up to 2 h extra drying time was required to achieve 4-log reductions of Salmonella as compared to the time required by the control sample). However, the effect of cut pattern on bacterial cell behavior was not observed.