Texas Roadhouse Is Growing Its Burger Chain Bubba's 33

Texas Roadhouse's name likely brings thoughts of affordable, hand-cut steaks, behemoth margaritas, peanut-speckled floors, and that famous fresh bread with cinnamon honey butter to mind. But the ultra-popular steakhouse chain is also building a reputation for serving up burgers as it eyes major growth for one of its other restaurant brands: Bubba's 33.

Bubba's 33 is a sports-themed restaurant chain that was created in 2013 by Kent Taylor, the founder of Texas Roadhouse. The restaurants offer appetizers, pizza, wings, sandwiches, and a range of alcoholic beverages, and almost everything is made from scratch. One of the biggest standouts at Bubba's 33 is the burger menu, which includes classics like a bacon cheeseburger plus more unique options. For example, the Spicy Habañero Burger is made with an Angus beef patty topped with Habañero Heat sauce, fried jalapeño cream cheese, a charred jalapeño and onion blend, and Bubba sauce.

As of the first quarter of 2023, there were only 40 Bubba's 33 locations throughout the United States, but Texas Roadhouse wants to accelerate growth for the brand.

In an earnings call last week, Texas Roadhouse CEO Jerry Morgan said the company anticipates opening 25 to 30 company-owned Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33 restaurants in 2023. He did not specify how many of those 25 to 30 restaurants would be Texas Roadhouse locations and how many would be Bubba's 33 locations.

This Texas Roadhouse Meal-Prep Hack Is Cheaper Than Grocery Shopping

Later in the call, he noted that while it may take 24 to 36 months to get to there, Texas Roadhouse expects to start opening 10 or more locations annually.

"We are all in on Bubba's. We have got great food there. We have got a great energy and environment and ambiance that really does fit with what we are trying to accomplish," he said.

The latest earnings data backs up Texas Roadhouse's plans to expand Bubba's 33. The brand saw an 8.7% increase in same-store sales in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2022, according to the latest earnings report. The average weekly sales of $109,000 for Bubba's 33 in 2022 also weren't too far away from Texas Roadhouse's average weekly sales of $134,000, FSR Magazine reported.

For any Texas Roadhouse fans itching to try Bubba's 33, the burger brand's few dozen locations are primarily scattered across the South and Midwest. According to data company ScrapeHero, Texas boasts the biggest Bubba's 33 presence by far with 17 restaurants, but states like Indiana, Florida, and Michigan are also home to at least a couple of locations. Customers looking to find the nearest Bubba's 33 restaurant should use the location search feature on the chain's website.

While Texas Roadhouse plans rapid growth for Bubba's 33, there are also promising signs for the future of the familiar steakhouse chain. Texas Roadhouse saw record traffic in the first quarter of the year and stole the crown as the fastest-growing restaurant brand in a March report from the brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance.

But not even Texas Roadhouse's soaring popularity has protected its customers from a wider trend of rising prices in the restaurant industry. The chain boosted prices by 2.2% at the start of the second quarter of 2023.