Hungry diners welcome Texas Roadhouse to Riverview
By LOIS KINDLE
LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
This 7,100-square-foot Texas Roadhouse restaurant is opening Oct. 8 at 13006 U.S. 301 S, Riverview.
Hankering for a perfectly cooked steak, burger or prime rib dinner at a place you could take your family without breaking the bank? If you have, here’s some exciting news. Texas Roadhouse is opening Oct. 8.
Located at 13006 U.S. 301 S., Riverview, the 7,100-square-foot restaurant is sure to cause a stir among area residents. It’s known nationwide for its hand-cut steaks, tender ribs, fresh-baked bread, 15 varieties of margaritas and ice-cold draft beer served at 36-degrees Fahrenheit.
“We’re extremely excited to have Texas Roadhouse come to the Riverview community,” said Tanya Doran, executive director of the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce. “Those who live and work in the area have been requesting higher quality sit-down restaurant options for years. We look forward to its opening.”
Spokesman Travis Doster said the company is delighted to be here. The restaurant’s dinner-only hours on weekdays and lunch and dinner hours on weekends works well for both the company and the communities it chooses.
“Riverview is a perfect fit for us,” said company spokesman Travis Doster. “The majority of customers go home first, and then come out for dinner. We like to have one great shift a night, where everyone is focused and ready to go from 4 to 10 p.m. We call ourselves a family dinner house.”
Doster said Texas Roadhouse likes building in smaller, underserved communities rather than large cities.
“We want to be a real presence,” he continued, “involved in school programs, fundraisers, children’s and veterans’ hospitals and the like.”
Prime rib served with two sides can be ordered in 10-, 12- and 16-ounce portions.
Steak accounts for about 50 percent of the Texas Roadhouse menu, Doster said. It also features grilled fish and salmon, fried catfish and combos of steak and shrimp or steak and chicken; fall-off-the bone, award-winning ribs; chicken specialties; burgers and sandwiches; starters, salads and sides. There’s also a kids’ menu with plenty of tasty options, and some meals can be prepared gluten-free upon request.
It’s relaxing, casual dining, folks. Everything is designed to provide guests with an excellent and enjoyable experience.
Servers are assigned only three tables at a time, enabling them to focus on providing exceptional service,” Doster said. “The industry average is six.”
A bucket of fresh, shelled peanuts sits on every table. A basket of fresh-baked yeast rolls is served immediately when diners arrive. And there’s a birthday saddle for those celebrating their special day.
Country music is played as background music and servers are known to break into line dances.
TEXAS ROADHOUSE PHOTOS
Steaks account for about 50 percent of the menu at Texas Roadhouse, but there are plenty of other options for hungry diners. The No. 1 seller is the six-ounce USDA Choice sirloin.
“We serve great food in a great atmosphere,” Doster said. “Our goal is to generate lots of laughter. We want people to have fun.”
Each Texas Roadhouse restaurant has its own baker and meat cutter who hand cuts every steak in a 34-degree cooler to provide a consistent steak with less waste. There’s even a meat case for those who’d like to pick their own steaks.
Here’s a few other things you might like to know about Texas Roadhouse:
• It’s open 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 4 to 11 p.m. Friday; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
• On Veteran’s Day, veterans and active-duty military eat free.
• Tuesday is kids’ night with free sundaes, fun activities, and a visit by mascot Andy Armadillo.
• Everything is made from scratch, even its bacon bits and croutons.
• Don’t like to wait? Call ahead (813-489-5552) to get on the wait list for seating. There’s also a mobile app for doing the same or placing to-go orders.
Andy the Armadillo, mascot of the Texas Roadhouse, visits every Tuesday on kids night, when children are offered free sundaes and a variety of fun activities. Here, he stands in front of the meat case, where diners can select their own hand-cut steaks.
• The average restaurant seats 291 guests and averages 5,000 diners each week.
• There are 566 Texas Roadhouse restaurants in 49 states and seven countries outside the United States.
• The company spends $20 million on roasted-in-shell peanuts annually.
• Its No. 1 seller is a six-ounce USDA Choice sirloin.
• Based in Louisville, Ky., the company’s first restaurant was opened in 1993 in Clarksville, Ind. Gainesville (Florida) was its second location.
• The managing partner of each location has an ownership interest. Dan Schefer is the managing partner of the Riverview restaurant.
To learn more about Texas Roadhouse, visit www.texasroadhouse.com.
Burgers and other hot sandwiches are also customer favorites at Texas Roadhouse.
Texas Roadhouse features 15 varieties of “legendary” margaritas among its full-service bar offerings.
When diners arrive at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant, they immediately receive a basket of freshly baked yeast rolls, which are made in-house every five minutes.
Texas Roadhouse is known for its ice-cold draft beer served at 36-degrees Fahrenheit.
