This article was updated with the 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document
With 614 locations across the US, Texas Roadhouse is a great choice for entrepreneurs who want to benefit from Americans’ taste for Texan comfort quality food. Yet it’s also a big investment: at $4,822,000 on average, opening a Texas Roadhouse franchise isn’t for everyone.
So is it really worth the price? In this article we’ll look into the financial aspects of applying for a Texas Roadhouse franchise in the US.
More specifically, we’ll have a look at how much it costs to open such a franchise, how much sales you can expect to generate, and more importantly, how profitable this business really is. Let’s dive in!
Key stats
| Franchise fee | $40,000 |
| Royalty fee | 4.00% |
| Marketing fee | 4.80% |
| Investment (mid-point) | $4,822,000 |
| Average sales | $4,789,000 |
| Sales to investment ratio | 552.0x |
| Minimum net worth | n.a. |
| Minimum liquid capital | $200,000 |
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 | Texas Roadhouse |
| FRANCHISE FEE | $40,000 |
| ROYALTY FEE | 4.00% |
| INITIAL INVESTMENT | $2,648,000 – $6,802,000 |
| AVERAGE REVENUE | $4,789,000 |
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About Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse is a fast-growing steak restaurant serving classic American cuisine, from steaks, ribs, and sides made from scratch and fresh-baked bread. Kent Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse in Clarksville, Indiana, in 1993.
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Texas Roadhouse Inc started as a family restaurant where kids and adults enjoyed delicious food and a lively atmosphere. The Texas Roadhouse’s mission is “legendary Food, Legendary Service,” meaning that the company aims to stay in business by providing quality comfort food to its customers.
Known for its laid-back vibes, large portions for the price, and high-quality steaks, Texas Roadhouse is a perfect choice for many families looking for an ideal dine-out experience.
As of 2022, Texas Roadhouse has 575 restaurants in 49 states, with large concentrations in Texas, Florida, Ohio, and Indiana. Most of these are company-owned: there were only 69 franchises in 2022.
Texas Roadhouse franchise pros and cons
Although Texas Roadhouse has managed fast growth in a competitive landscape, the restaurant has its share of pros and cons.
Pros
- Competitive Business Model: Texas Roadhouse’s business model rests on selling affordable steaks, drinks, and bar food. From a recent Hardware study, the company’s business model positions each of its restaurants as the domestic destination for the other segmented consumers looking for high-quality, affordable, attentive, and friendly meals.This competitive business model has enabled the restaurant to drive sales growth even as competitors have struggled.
- Trained Support Team: the restaurant chain offers a trained crew who will help you through the process of opening up a restaurant. Their team will provide on-site evaluation, so you determine if your preferred site is suitable and determine the best marketing strategies to help you drive sales.
- Solid Brand: Texas Roadhouse has earned numerous awards over the past two decades, highlighting why it is a strong brand. The awards showcase the restaurant’s high-quality food and beverages and excellent customer service from skilled employees. A solid marketing strategy and excellent customer service have helped the restaurant achieve a strong brand.
- Strong customer service: Texas Roadhouse ensures attractive packages for its employees and managers. In that regard, the motivated team strives to provide a variety of price points to meet each guest’s budget and value expectations compared to most steakhouses.
Cons
- Changing business model: the franchisor might introduce changes to the business model without the franchisee’s consent. Such changes might require additional investments in your Texas Roadhouse franchise or even harm your profitability.
- Supplier Restrictions: the franchisor might require you to buy or lease items from the franchisor or a limited group of suppliers the franchisor designates. These supplier restrictions might be more expensive than similar items you could source from alternative suppliers.
Texas Roadhouse franchise costs
In addition to a $40,000 initial franchise fee, Texas Roadhouse requires a substantial investment upfront. On average, you can expect to spend $4,822,000 out of your own pocket (or a SBA loan) to fund startup costs.
This is the average of the investment required for renovation and new build-out franchises:
| Format | Lowest | Highest | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renovation | $2,647,500 | $5,488,500 | $4,068,000 |
| New Build-out | $4,349,500 | $6,801,500 | $5,575,500 |
| Total | $4,821,750 |
When it comes to the breakdown, the FDD is quite detailed. Your investment will cover expenses like the site evaluation, engineering and construction (or renovation), the decor, fixtures and furniture, the equipment, supplies, startup inventory etc. Here’s a summary of the costs you can expect:
| Type of cost | Renovation | Build out |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise fee | $40,000 | $40,000 |
| Construction/renovation | $800,000 – $1,700,000 | $1,900,000 – $2,600,000 |
| Site evaluation/architect | $150,000 – $225,000 | $150,000 – $225,000 |
| Furniture, fixtures, decor | $270,000 – $320,000 | $270,000 – $320,000 |
| Equipment | $300,000 – $700,000 | $900,000 – $1,100,000 |
| Training costs | $90,000 – $139,500 | $90,000 – $139,500 |
| Additional funds* | $442,000 – $800,000 | $442,000 – $800,000 |
| Other | $555,500 – $1,564,000 | $557,500 – $1,577,000 |
| Total | $2,647,500 – $5,488,500 | $4,349,500 – $6,801,500 |
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| Texas Roadhouse |
| FRANCHISE FEE | $40,000 |
| ROYALTY FEE | 4.00% |
| INITIAL INVESTMENT | $2,648,000 – $6,802,000 |
| AVERAGE REVENUE | $4,789,000 |
Texas Roadhouse franchise fees
The initial franchise fee for a Texas Roadhouse franchise is $40,000. In addition to the initial franchise fee, you must pay to the franchisor a royalty fee of 4.00% of revenues.
Texas Roadhouse franchise revenue
Taken aside, the investment amount seems very high: it’s clearly on the high-end of the amount you need to spend to start a quick-service restaurant franchise.
Yet this amount makes more sense when we consider the average annual turnover per restaurant. Indeed, a Texas Roadhouse restaurant makes on average $4,789,000 in sales per year.
This makes sense in light of the average order value which is higher vs. common fast food restaurants where spend per head is around $10-20 instead.
Even though Texas Roadhouse doesn’t disclose sales per store, we obtained this number by dividing the total franchise revenue of the franchisees ($297 million) by the number of franchises (62).
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty fee paid to franchisor | $17,946,000 | $24,770,000 | $26,128,000 |
| Total revenue of all franchises | $203,931,818 | $281,477,273 | $296,909,091 |
| Number of franchises | 69 | 69 | 62 |
| Total | $2,955,534 | $4,079,381 | $4,788,856 |
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| Texas Roadhouse |
| FRANCHISE FEE | $40,000 |
| ROYALTY FEE | 4.00% |
| INITIAL INVESTMENT | $2,648,000 – $6,802,000 |
| AVERAGE REVENUE | $4,789,000 |
Disclaimer
Disclaimer: This content has been madefor informational and educational purposes only. We do not make any representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the information presented in the article. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other professional advice. Nothing contained inthis articleconstitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsem*nt, advertisem*nt, or offer to buy or sell any franchises, securities, or other financial instruments in this or in any other jurisdiction in which such solicitation or offer would be unlawful under the franchise and/or securities laws of such jurisdiction.
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