Who Owns Texas Roadhouse As Of 2026?

The original founder and owner of Texas Roadhouse is W. Kent Taylor. He opened the first restaurant in 1993, not in Texas, but in Indiana. It's now a franchise with over 800 restaurants, and you can find a Texas Roadhouse in 10 other countries, 49 states, and one U.S. territory. The restaurant serves up sides made from scratch, freshly baked bread, tender ribs, and, of course, some great (and not so great) hand-cut steaks.

Texas Roadhouse is a publicly traded company under Texas Roadhouse, Inc., meaning it's owned and governed by shareholders. However, there are many shareholders, and there isn't a single investor who owns a majority of the company. It's also governed by a board of directors, with nine active members. Below this board is an executive management team with seven people, which is led by the CEO, Gerald L. Morgan (aka Jerry).

Each franchise location has a managing partner who must make a deposit of $25,000 and commit to five years of employment under contract. In exchange, they earn 10% of the profits of that location. The most famous of these partners is Willie Nelson, who owns a location in Texas. Taylor and Nelson were friends, and that's why every Texas Roadhouse location has a Willie's Corner dedicated to the singer.

Texas Roadhouse started when W. Kent Taylor, the restaurant's founder and former owner, scribbled his vision for the restaurant on a cocktail napkin. He took his idea and pitched it to potential investors, where he was rejected over 100 times. Most people would give up at that point, but Taylor kept at it. In 1993, he finally earned the funding he needed to open the first Texas Roadhouse location in Indiana, and he went on to build the huge restaurant chain it is today. Today, the restaurant has expanded its portfolio with over 50 Bubba's 33 sports bar restaurants and 16 Jaggers fast food-style restaurants.

As the owner of Texas Roadhouse, Taylor supported his employees during tough times. While the company experienced pandemic-related setbacks in 2020, he gave up his base salary and a nearly $1 million bonus and donated another $5 million to support his frontline workers without terminating their employment to cut costs. His death in 2021 left big shoes to fill, but he chose Jerry Morgan to be his successor, and Morgan has been serving as the CEO of Texas Roadhouse ever since. Owners and investors may change over time, but the dedication to serving delicious butter rolls and affordable steaks at Texas Roadhouse has stayed the same.