Texas Roadhouse Just Opened Its Biggest Location in the World
If you've ever been to a Texas Roadhouse—and it's something every steak-lover should do at least once—you'll know the biggest issue the chain faces is space. Trying to go to a Texas Roadhouse at primetime on a Friday or Saturday night is like heading into Times Square on New Year's Eve: foolish at best. The chain is fully aware of this major drawback and is addressing it at its latest restaurant, which is its biggest location yet.
The new Texas Roadhouse in Lubbock, Texas, which opened for business on Feb. 8, replaces another location in the same area that stood for over 20 years. "It's bigger than the one we had before, it's frankly the largest Texas Roadhouse in the world right now," Mike Smith, managing partner at Texas Roadhouse Lubbock, told EverythingLubbock.com.
What's bigger? Everything! The new location has over 200 parking spaces, 20% more table space, and a larger kitchen. The chain even expanded the waiting area which gets a lot of action at busy Texas Roadhouse locations. "We do have a new waiting area… It's bigger than what we've ever had before." Smith said. A larger waiting area could be the perfect opportunity for the restaurant to sell some cocktails to the waiting crowd. The chain, whose discounted steaks are the draw, makes most of its money on higher price cocktails and upselling.
A report from a local news station also said that the location has a heated patio, which makes sense considering that customers waiting for a table at Texas Roadhouse often spill out into the area outside the restaurant. No word on what sorts of entertainment the new space has but some outdoor spaces at Texas Roadhouse have games like Cornhole to keep the waiting guests happy.
The location also has a new addition that Texas Roadhouse started testing in new restaurants in 2020, after the pandemic decimated business: a drive-thru. The Lubbock location is one of 10 restaurants that has a drive-thru. Upgrading old locations seems to be in the plans for the chain that set its sights last year on increasing its current 526-restaurant footprint to 900 locations.
The chain was the fourth largest casual-dining chain in terms of units in the United States in 2021, but it pulled in average unit volumes of over $6 million—the highest in the casual-dining segment. Texas Roadhouse doesn't seem to be slowing down and is on track to become the country's largest casual dining chain.
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