The first Texas Roadhouse opened in Clarksvillie, Indiana in 1993.
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Source: Texas Roadhouse
It wasn’t an easy road though, and founder Kent Taylor worked at other restaurant chains and concepts before landing on Texas Roadhouse.
Texas Roadhouse.
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Taylor worked as a KFC area manager before starting Texas Roadhouse.
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Source: Made From Scratch by Kent Taylor
He wasn’t successful within the KFC system because he was a “freethinker,” and a “rogue,” Taylor wrote.
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Taylor also managed a Hooters location before pursuing his own restaurant ideas full-time.
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Source: Mashed
Taylor left the job and pitched John Y. Brown, former Kentucky governor and partial owner of KFC, on his restaurant concept for the fifth time.
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Brown invested $80,000 in Taylor’s steakhouse concept, but it wasn’t Texas Roadhouse.
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It was a Colorado-themed steakhouse, called Buckhead Bar and Grill.
Colorado Springs, Colo., May 2, 2006.
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When the partnership with Brown fell apart, Taylor came up with another idea: a cowboy-themed steakhouse.
Texas Roadhouse.
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Source: Fortune
Things weren’t easy from there, though. Taylor says he pitched the Texas Roadhouse concept to more than 100 investors before he found backers.
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Source: Biz Journals
In 1992, Taylor found three investors willing to put in $100,000 each after being convinced by his concept drawings on a cocktail napkin.
Texas Roadhouse
Source: Texas Roadhouse
Taylor recruited staff for the growing Texas Roadhouse chain by eating at other restaurants and introducing himself to servers, hosts, and cooks he thought were doing a good job, he wrote in his book.
Waiters.
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Managing partners who ran each location had skin in the game because Taylor required they put $25,000 down and receive 10% of the location’s profits.
Texas Roadhouse.
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Source: Restaurant Finance Monitor
Taylor and his team originally considered giving out free popcorn before settling on the chain’s iconic rolls.
Texas Roadhouse.
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Source: Made From Scratch by Kent Taylor
Developing the perfect recipe for the rolls took three weeks, experimenting with different types of yeast and flour.
Texas Roadhouse.
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There was also an ill-fated attempt to sell Mexican food at the restaurant, which lasted just two weeks thanks to “poor execution and almost no sales,” Taylor wrote.
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Since then, the chain has expanded from medium-sized US cities to smaller markets, with promising sales.
Texas Roadhouse.
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Source: Restaurant Business Online
In 2002, singer Willie Nelson became an official partner of Texas Roadhouse by promoting the chain, and some locations have a corner of decor dedicated to him.
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Source: Mashed
By 2004, 10 years after it first opened, there were 162 Texas Roadhouse locations in 32 states.
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Source: Marketwatch
That same year, Texas Roadhouse filed for an IPO.
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In the SEC filing, Texas Roadhouse said its operating strategy was based on high-quality food, low price points, and only serving dinner during weekdays.
Texas Roadhouse.
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The chain expanded outside the US for the first time in 2011. It now has 15 locations in Middle Eastern countries.
Texas Roadhouse.
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Source: Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse has grown steadily since, with 643 locations as of September 2022.
Texas Roadhouse.
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Texas Roadhouse executives are planning to eventually grow to 900 US locations, the company said in October 2022.
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Source: Restaurant Business Online
That pace of growth could put Texas Roadhouse on pace to become the largest casual chain by sales in the US.
Texas Roadhouse.
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In 2021, the chain did $3.7 billion in sales, with average unit sales of about $6 million, according to earnings statements.
Texas Roadhouse.
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Those high sales are how the chain can outpace or come close to competitors with more locations, like Chili’s and Olive Garden.
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In 2021, CEO and founder Kent Taylor died at age 65.
Texas Roadhouse
Source: Insider
President Jerry Morgan took over as CEO and oversaw an explosion of the chain’s to-go business.
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