Mérida, Yucatán — The famous Texas Roadhouse franchise is blazing a path through Latin America, starting in the Yucatecan capital.
Mérida is the first city in Mexico to get a Texas Roadhouse, which is based not in the Lone Star state, but in Louisville, Ky.
The publicly traded company, founded 25 years ago in Clarksville, Ind., specializes in steaks and ribs. They have 450 U.S. locations in 49 states and also operate in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Texas Roadhouse is known for fresh bread that comes out of the oven every five minutes, unique entries such as “rattlesnake bites” and soups such as “Texas Red Chili.”
Brothers Francisco and Germán Torrado Losa are the brand’s developer partners for Mexico, and they intend to open 10 restaurants in the country within seven years.
They’re beginning in Mérida, near what will be the Vía Montejo shopping center, a few meters from the ramp to the Periférico.
Germán Torrado told Diario de Yucatán that he first tasted a Texas Roadhouse steak in 2011, at the time thinking it to be “legendary and at a good price.”
They have been planning last week’s opening since 2014.
The brothers have already managed the Boston’s brand as well as the coffeehouse chain Parroquia de Veracruz.
Named “America’s most underrated chain restaurant” in 2017, Texas Roadhouse makes everything from scratch, with the exception of children’s menu items such as applesauce and hotdogs.
Their steaks are hand-cut and never frozen, with the exception of their T-bone steak, which is prepared off-site and vacuum-sealed.
Every table offers a free bucket of peanuts, with patrons encouraged to throw the empty shells on the floor.
See a locator map, hours and reviews on their Facebook page.
