The best way to explain Texas Roadhouse is that it's essentially , except with Texas instead of Australia. Its logo features the state of Texas with a cowboy hat perched jauntily atop its panhandle. It serves hearty slabs of beef and smoky ribs, marrying the state's twin loves of steak and barbecue.
Its mascot is an armadillo by the name of Andy, who wears a teeth-clenched grin that makes him look for all the world like he's from "Attack on Titan." And every so often, just to make sure they really hammer home the theming, . If a steakhouse was themed this heavily around any other part of the world, it would be a clear indication that it was founded by someone who wasn't from there.
But, well, this Texas. It's famous for many things, but modesty and restraint are not among them. Why a chain restaurant this aggressively Texan originate in Texas? Texas Roadhouse was born in Indiana (sort of) You wouldn't think a chain like Texas Roadhouse would be born in Indiana.
That's a state known for corn, racecars, and college basketball — not steak. You also wouldn't think Texas Roadhouse would be born in Kentucky, which is known for bourbon, racehorses, and ..
. also, college basketball. But the point is, it's not known for steak either.
And yet in 1993, the Green Tree Mall in Clarksville, Indiana was home to the world's first Texas Roadhouse. It was the brainchild of W. Kent Taylor, a businessman who was a KFC manager in Louisville, Kentucky (just across the Ohio River from Clarksville.