Who owns Texas Roadhouse: no single person. Texas Roadhouse, Inc. is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ under the ticker TXRH, so ownership sits with shareholders. Kent Taylor founded the chain in 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana, and led it until his death in 2021.
Who owns Texas Roadhouse right now?
Texas Roadhouse is owned by its public shareholders. The company trades on the NASDAQ stock exchange as TXRH, which means anyone with a brokerage account holds a slice, and the largest holders are typically institutional funds rather than individuals. There is no private owner and no parent conglomerate above it.
That structure matters for diners in one practical way. Because Texas Roadhouse, Inc. is a reporting public company, its restaurant counts, revenue and store-growth plans get published in quarterly filings rather than guessed at. If you want the current, dated numbers, the investor relations section of the corporate site is the primary source, not any fan site including this one.
Individual restaurants are a separate question. Some are company-operated and some are run by franchisees or franchise partners, which is why a manager at one store can hand you a policy answer that does not match the store two counties over.
Who founded Texas Roadhouse and in what year?
Kent Taylor founded Texas Roadhouse in 1993. He built the concept around hand-cut steaks, scratch-made sides and a low price point at a time when most steakhouse growth was aimed at white-tablecloth spending, and he stayed the driving personality behind the brand for nearly three decades.
Taylor died in 2021. The company subsequently established a fund carrying his name to continue causes he backed. Leadership has changed since then, and rather than print an executive roster that goes stale within a quarter, the honest instruction is to check the corporate leadership page for who currently holds the CEO seat.
The founder’s fingerprints are still visible on the menu you order from. Free bread on the table before anyone orders, sides priced at $2.99, and a bone-in Ribeye at $24.99 rather than $40-plus are all decisions that trace back to the original positioning, not to recent marketing.
Where did the first Texas Roadhouse actually open?
The first Texas Roadhouse opened in Clarksville, Indiana, in 1993. Clarksville sits on the Ohio River directly across from Louisville, Kentucky, which is the geographic detail that explains why the brand’s corporate roots ended up in Kentucky rather than in the Southwest.
This origin point is the single most commonly mis-stated fact about the chain. Search results and casual conversation both assume a Texas launch, and the assumption is wrong by roughly a thousand miles. The state of Texas came into the concept as a theme, not as a birthplace.
Why is it called Texas Roadhouse if it started in Indiana?
The name describes the atmosphere the founder wanted, not the location. “Texas” signaled big beef portions and a Southwestern feel; “roadhouse” signaled a loud, casual, no-jacket-required room. Together they set an expectation the menu and the dining room then delivered on.
You can see the theme executed rather than merely named. The armadillo iconography, the country soundtrack, the servers who stop mid-shift to line dance, and the peanut buckets that many locations carried for years are all consistent with the roadhouse framing. None of it requires the company to be from Texas, and the company has never claimed otherwise.
If someone insists the chain is Texan, the tidiest correction is the pair of facts above: founded 1993, Clarksville, Indiana. Both are checkable in the company’s own filings.
Fact box: the numbers people ask for most
Below is the short reference version, with what each item is sourced from and how confident you should be. Anything marked “verify” changes often enough that a static page should not be your final word on it.
| Item | Answer | Where to confirm it |
|---|---|---|
| Year founded | 1993 | Company history / SEC filings |
| Founder | Kent Taylor (died 2021) | Company history, public obituaries |
| First location | Clarksville, Indiana | Company history |
| Ownership | Public company, NASDAQ: TXRH | NASDAQ listing, investor relations |
| Headquarters | Louisville, Kentucky area | Corporate contact page |
| Store model | Company-operated plus franchised | Annual report (verify current split) |
| Restaurant count | Changes quarterly | Latest quarterly filing (verify) |
| Sister brands | Bubba’s 33, Jaggers | Corporate brand pages |
| Last verified | July 2026 | This page |
Where is the Texas Roadhouse headquarters?
Corporate offices are in the Louisville, Kentucky area, a short drive across the river from where the first restaurant opened. The company calls its home office the Support Center rather than a corporate headquarters, a naming choice that fits the founder-era culture of framing the office as serving the restaurants.
Do not send guest complaints, gift card problems or catering questions to a mailing address you found in a forum. Use the contact form on the official corporate site or the in-app support channel, both of which route to the right department and give you a reference number. Individual restaurant issues are almost always resolved faster by calling that store’s manager directly.
Is Texas Roadhouse a franchise, and what does one cost?
Yes, franchised Texas Roadhouse restaurants exist alongside company-operated ones, both domestically and internationally. Whether the company is actively accepting new franchise applications at any given moment is a separate question, and it is one that changes with corporate strategy.
Here is the part most articles get wrong. Anyone quoting you a precise franchise fee, net-worth requirement or total investment range for Texas Roadhouse is either reading an outdated Franchise Disclosure Document or making it up. Those figures live in the current FDD, which a prospect receives only after formally inquiring through the company. This page will not invent them.
What you can budget for in general terms, based on how full-service steakhouse development works, is that a from-the-ground-up casual dining restaurant is a multi-million-dollar project once land, building, kitchen equipment and working capital are counted. That is a category observation, not a Texas Roadhouse quote.
If you are serious, the sequence is: submit an inquiry through the corporate site’s franchising or development contact, receive and read the current FDD in full, and have a franchise attorney review it before you sign anything. Skipping the FDD step to rely on a blog’s numbers is how people lose deposits.
What is the Texas Roadhouse mascot?
The mascot is an armadillo, the animal that appears on signage, merchandise and kids’ materials across the brand. The armadillo was chosen because it reads instantly as Southwestern, and it has been part of the visual identity since the early years rather than being a later marketing addition.
Locations sometimes give the character a name in local promotions and kids’ activities, and the exact naming and any costumed appearances vary by store. If your child is expecting a mascot at a birthday visit, call ahead; that is a store-level program, not a chainwide guarantee.
What are Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers?
Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers are separate restaurant brands operated by the same parent company. They are not renamed Texas Roadhouse locations, and they run their own menus, pricing and hours.
Bubba’s 33 is a sports-bar-styled concept built around burgers, pizza and wings with a wall of televisions, aimed at a different occasion than a steak dinner. Jaggers is the fast-casual entry, ordering-counter or drive-thru format, focused on burgers, chicken sandwiches and salads at a quicker turnaround.
| Brand | Format | Menu focus | Same menu as Texas Roadhouse? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Roadhouse | Full-service steakhouse | Hand-cut steaks, ribs, free rolls | — |
| Bubba’s 33 | Full-service sports bar | Burgers, pizza, wings | No |
| Jaggers | Fast casual / drive-thru | Burgers, chicken, salads | No |
Practical consequence: Texas Roadhouse gift cards, app rewards and promotions do not automatically apply across the sister brands. Check the terms on your specific card or offer before assuming it works at a Bubba’s 33.
What did the brand build its reputation on?
Four things did most of the work: steaks cut in-house rather than delivered pre-portioned, sides made from scratch in the restaurant, unlimited free rolls with cinnamon butter, and a price ladder that keeps a 6oz Sirloin at $16.99 while a 23oz Porterhouse tops out around $28.99.
The value positioning is still measurable on the current menu. Sides run $2.99. The Cactus Blossom appetizer is $8.99. Kids meals sit between $5.99 and $7.99. Early Dine specials land roughly $10.99 to $12.99 on weekdays before 6pm at participating locations, and happy hour typically runs Monday through Friday from 3 to 5pm. Those last two are participation-dependent, so confirm with your store.
The theatrical parts of the concept, line dancing servers and the peanut buckets many diners remember, were culture decisions that also functioned as marketing. Peanut service in particular has been discontinued at many locations over the years for allergy reasons, so its presence today varies store to store.
What this page cannot tell you
This is an independent guide. It is not operated by, endorsed by or affiliated with Texas Roadhouse, Inc., and nothing here should be treated as a corporate statement. Where the company’s own materials disagree with this page, the company is right.
Three specific limits. First, we do not publish a current restaurant count or executive names, because both change between filings and a wrong name is worse than no name. Second, we publish no franchise investment figures, since only the current Franchise Disclosure Document carries authoritative numbers. Third, every price and special listed here was checked in July 2026 and reflects common pricing rather than a guarantee for your location; airport, casino and international restaurants often price differently.
For official information, use the corporate website, the investor relations pages for financial and ownership questions, and your local restaurant’s phone number for anything about hours, participation or a specific visit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Texas Roadhouse a franchise?
Partly. Texas Roadhouse operates both company-owned restaurants and franchised restaurants, domestically and internationally. The parent company itself is publicly traded on the NASDAQ as TXRH, so the brand as a whole is shareholder-owned rather than franchisee-owned.
How much is a Texas Roadhouse franchise?
The company does not publish a public price, and any specific figure you find online is unverified or outdated. Real fee, net-worth and total-investment requirements appear only in the current Franchise Disclosure Document, which you receive after a formal inquiry through corporate.
Does Texas Roadhouse franchise?
Franchised locations exist, so franchising has been part of the model. Whether new applications are being accepted at any given time depends on current development strategy, so ask the company’s franchise or development contact directly rather than assuming availability.
Can you franchise a Texas Roadhouse?
Only through the company’s official franchise process. That means submitting an inquiry, being approved as a candidate, reviewing the FDD with a franchise attorney, and meeting financial and operating requirements. There is no way to buy in through a third party or broker listing.
How to get a Texas Roadhouse franchise?
Start at the franchising or development contact on the official corporate site. Expect a screening step, a full FDD review period required by law, legal counsel, and proof of both liquid capital and restaurant operating experience before any agreement is discussed.
Who owns Texas Roadhouse?
Public shareholders own it through Texas Roadhouse, Inc., listed on the NASDAQ as TXRH. Founder Kent Taylor led the company from its 1993 launch until his death in 2021, but the business was already publicly traded well before then.
Why is Texas Roadhouse called Texas Roadhouse if it is not from Texas?
The name describes the theme, not the origin. The first restaurant opened in Clarksville, Indiana in 1993. “Texas” was chosen to signal big beef portions and Southwestern styling, and “roadhouse” to signal a loud, casual, come-as-you-are dining room.
Where is the Texas Roadhouse headquarters?
Corporate offices are in the Louisville, Kentucky area, just across the Ohio River from the original Clarksville, Indiana restaurant. The company refers to it as a Support Center. Use the official contact form for guest issues rather than mailing an address found on a forum.
Related guides
- Texas Roadhouse menu — the full lineup with current prices
- browse individual dishes and cuts
- the free rolls the chain is known for
- weekday Early Dine pricing explained
- current specials and weekly deals