Nicholls releases volleyball, soccer schedules
June 17, 2014
Alice Louvierre Arcement
June 17, 2014
The development of Texas Roadhouse was long anticipated by the residents of Houma, and the new eatery with “legendary food, legendary service and legendary fun” officially opened its doors to the public Monday.
For managing partner Shane Broadway, the Houma location – next to Best Buy at 1642 Martin Luther King Blvd. – is a project that has been in the works for four years.
With more than 180 employees on its payroll, Texas Roadhouse brings a new brand of energy to the Houma area with its specialty of “hand-cut steaks, fall-off-the-bone ribs, made-from-scratch sides and fresh-baked bread,” Broadway said.
The Texas Roadhouse chain got its start in February 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana, when Kent Taylor opened the first family restaurant. The Houma location is the ninth location to open in Louisiana, and one of 30 restaurants the franchise will open this year. The eatery has 420 locations in 48 states.
The Houma site is unique in that it offers a larger bar, offering patrons additional seating.
“We’re known as the friendliest place in town. That’s what we really strive for and pretty much anywhere you go in this town, people are so friendly and welcoming. We felt like Houma was a good location for us,” he said.
Travis Doster, director of public relations for Texas Roadhouse, said the company proposed locating in the area a few years ago, but the move fell through.
“We wanted to move to Houma for a while,” Doster said in a March interview. “I understand it’s one of the fastest growing cities in the nation so we just felt like it was a great market. It’s a big event town and a lot of tourists will resonate with the restaurant.”
A full-time butcher and baker are on staff. Every five minutes, Texas Roadhouse’s rolls are pulled from the oven.
And because all of the restaurant’s meats are cut in-house, Broadway said they can provide anywhere from a 32-ounce sirloin to a 42-ounce rib eye.
“Since we cut all our meat in-house, if you want a thick cowboy cut, we can provide that for you,” he said.
Before this week’s opening, employees still in training – or “Roadies” – got an unexpected lesson. They gathered in the parking lot to learn a new line dance they perform at the restaurant. Inside, Texas Roadhouse’s newly appointed chefs tested their cooking skills.
Emergency responders were the first to get a taste of Houma’s Texas Roadhouse’s menu, followed by a cadre of invited guests over the weekend. The food prepared during last week’s final training was donated to local hospitals, fire departments and law enforcement agencies. The outreach effort replays with every new restaurant’s pre-opening,
“Every firefighter in this community has been fed and every police officer has been fed,” said Amanda Loucks, regional marketing manager for Texas Roadhouse.
Broadway said he is encouraged by the outpouring of support and interest the restaurant has received over the last week, and is excited to finally open.
“What I was looking forward to most was being able to unlock the doors and let the community come in and be able to taste Texas Roadhouse,” he said, mentioning not only the food, but “the legendary service, fun atmosphere, high energy and line dancing.”
To entice visitors, the restaurant also plans to give away a large, stainless steel barbeque grill to one lucky customer. The drawing is set for July 31.
New hires at Texas Roadhouse learn to line dance prior to the site’s opening Monday. Throughout the weekend’s soft opening, workers tested their moves up and down the restaurant’s aisles as visitors enjoyed a complimentary meal. Gratuities collected for the Friday-Saturday event were donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
