BY JILL NAGY
Construction will begin soon on a new Texas
Roadhouse restaurant in the Northway Plaza Shopping
Center, 820 Route 9, Queensbury.
It will be the first in the region. The closest is
currently in Albany. Construction is expected to
begin in mid-June, said Travis Doster, media relations
head for the Texas Roadhouse restaurant
chain, based in Louisville, Ky.
The restaurant is expected to open in October,
Doster said.
“When you come into a Texas Roadhouse, we
seat you with a basket of our fresh-baked bread
and a bucket of peanuts,” said Doster.
Last year, he said, they gave away $20 million
worth of bread and peanuts.
Currently, there are 15 Texas Roadhouses in
New York state, including Albany and Plattsburgh.
The Queensbury restaurant will join more than 450
restaurants in 49 states.
The restaurant will offer a variety of steaks
and prime rib, cut by their own in-house meat
cutters, and “scratch based” side dishes. According
to Doster, Texas Steakhouse restaurants make
their own croutons and salad dressing and prepare
vegetables from scratch.
There are also burgers, salads and sandwiches;
chicken, pork and seafood dishes and kids meals.
They will be open only for dinner, probably from
4-10 p.m., during the week, but from 10 or 11 a.m.
to 10 p.m. on the weekends, he said.
The atmosphere will be what Doster calls “upbeat,”
with country music playing. He said that a six-ounce sirloin steak, their most popular cut,
with two side dishes and a beverage will be priced
at $10 or $11.
There will not be any beer, wine or liquor
available.
The company does not franchise, but contracts
with a managing partner to operate each outlet.
The Queensbury managing partner will be Eric
Bourgeois.
Each managing partner is required to make an initial investment of $25,000 and sign a five-year
renewable contract. Gradually, the partner takes
on more responsibility for operating the restaurant
and shares in the profits.
“By the time we hand them the keys,” Doster
said, “they know the business.”
In addition to operating the restaurant, the
managing partner is encouraged to be active in the
community in order to “create a more community
focused restaurant.”
Also, the company tries to have its employees
lined up before picking a location. The Queensbury
restaurant is expected to hire about 200 people, nearly half of them, full time. About 60 percent
of the staff will work in the front of the house–
waiters, bussers, greeters–and the rest, behind
the scenes.
“It takes a lot of people to make awesome food,”
Doster said.
The Texas Roadhouse chain was started in 1993
in Clarksville, Ind., across the river from its current
headquarters in Louisville. Founder Kent Taylor
is still CEO and chairman of the board and hand
picked the Queensbury site, Doster said.
The company website is www.texasroadhouse.com.
Photo Courtesy Texas Roadhouse