Articles
July 31, 2025
Texas Roadhouse's Morgan stakes out winning strategy
Casual-dining CEO talks about building success for the future.
Association CEO Michelle Korsmo, left, and Texas Roadhouse's Jerry Morgan talked about the changing business landscape, leadership, and what success really looks like.
Jerry Morgan, ‘partner to all roadies’, head coach, and CEO of Texas Roadhouse, the casual-dining chain, says his goal is to help his brand thrive as the restaurant industry embraces change, without compromising the values that made it successful in the first place.
Morgan, who’s been with the company for 29 years, believes his brand owes its success to the culture it has built and the employees who work to ensure its prosperity. He says his intent is to honor the brand’s past while boldly leading it into the future.
At The Table, the National Restaurant Association’s recent conference in Louisville, KY., Morgan sat down with Michelle Korsmo, the Association’s President & CEO, to talk about Texas Roadhouse, the changing business landscape it finds itself in, leadership, and what success really means.
You’ve been in the business for 35 years, with about 29 of them at Texas Roadhouse. How did that happen?
I’ve just begun my 29th year at Roadhouse. I started off as a single-unit operator. We opened the first store in Texas and today have nearly 100 there. It's been a heck of a journey. I tell people that whether you run a restaurant, a market, a region or a company, we use many of the same philosophies. It's about being great at what you do, but always continuing to improve.
You have to make sure you’re able to provide legendary food and service, be great partners to the communities you serve, and understand what value means to people. That's Roadhouse’s blueprint for success. That, and operational excellence—being great at running our restaurants.
You've said Texas Roadhouse is a “people-first company” that happens to serve steak. What’s your approach to leadership?
When you’re in management, you learn a lot. We’re always told that the customer is always right, but at Roadhouse, we teach that if you make your staff happy, they’ll make your guests happy, and you’ll have a successful business. I do think the guest always has an opinion, whether it’s right or wrong, but also believe it’s important to create an environment where people want to work, grow, learn, and trust the leadership. My job is to ensure the success of each of our restaurants and support our operators in the field who interact with our employees and guests every day.
What do you think about the way technology is evolving? Is there a need for more automation and other ways to improve and/or speed up service?
I’ve seen certain types of automation, like robotic burger flippers, at some companies, and understand the excitement, but don't know that it’s something we would do. What we are working on is installing digital kitchens at several locations. By replacing the traditional ticket system with digital screens that track orders and cook times, we’re enhancing our back-of-house efficiency. It’s helping the staff organize the cooking process, leading to faster food prep and reduced wait times. It’s also making things less chaotic.
Two other things we’ve been working on are a guest management component for our app that helps manage our waitlists. People can use mobile devices to get on the app and put their names on the list. If they’re late, but show up later, we can put them back into the queue when they arrive. We’ve also implemented “Roadhouse Pay,” a program that allows our guests to use technology to pay at the table, giving them more control over their dining experiences.
What kind of trends in the casual-dining space are you paying attention to?
Beverages, and mocktails in particular; we’ve been very surprised at how popular they’ve become. I traveled to several of our restaurants and talked to our bartenders and guests. They asked why we didn’t have beer specials anymore or offer a happy hour. When I got back, we tested mocktails and started offering them. Our customers responded well; they really like them. We’ve also brought back a $5 beer and a $5 margarita. We haven’t forgotten we need value built into the menu all day, every day.
Learn more about The Table
Morgan, who’s been with the company for 29 years, believes his brand owes its success to the culture it has built and the employees who work to ensure its prosperity. He says his intent is to honor the brand’s past while boldly leading it into the future.
At The Table, the National Restaurant Association’s recent conference in Louisville, KY., Morgan sat down with Michelle Korsmo, the Association’s President & CEO, to talk about Texas Roadhouse, the changing business landscape it finds itself in, leadership, and what success really means.
You’ve been in the business for 35 years, with about 29 of them at Texas Roadhouse. How did that happen?
I’ve just begun my 29th year at Roadhouse. I started off as a single-unit operator. We opened the first store in Texas and today have nearly 100 there. It's been a heck of a journey. I tell people that whether you run a restaurant, a market, a region or a company, we use many of the same philosophies. It's about being great at what you do, but always continuing to improve.
You have to make sure you’re able to provide legendary food and service, be great partners to the communities you serve, and understand what value means to people. That's Roadhouse’s blueprint for success. That, and operational excellence—being great at running our restaurants.
You've said Texas Roadhouse is a “people-first company” that happens to serve steak. What’s your approach to leadership?
When you’re in management, you learn a lot. We’re always told that the customer is always right, but at Roadhouse, we teach that if you make your staff happy, they’ll make your guests happy, and you’ll have a successful business. I do think the guest always has an opinion, whether it’s right or wrong, but also believe it’s important to create an environment where people want to work, grow, learn, and trust the leadership. My job is to ensure the success of each of our restaurants and support our operators in the field who interact with our employees and guests every day.
What do you think about the way technology is evolving? Is there a need for more automation and other ways to improve and/or speed up service?
I’ve seen certain types of automation, like robotic burger flippers, at some companies, and understand the excitement, but don't know that it’s something we would do. What we are working on is installing digital kitchens at several locations. By replacing the traditional ticket system with digital screens that track orders and cook times, we’re enhancing our back-of-house efficiency. It’s helping the staff organize the cooking process, leading to faster food prep and reduced wait times. It’s also making things less chaotic.
Two other things we’ve been working on are a guest management component for our app that helps manage our waitlists. People can use mobile devices to get on the app and put their names on the list. If they’re late, but show up later, we can put them back into the queue when they arrive. We’ve also implemented “Roadhouse Pay,” a program that allows our guests to use technology to pay at the table, giving them more control over their dining experiences.
What kind of trends in the casual-dining space are you paying attention to?
Beverages, and mocktails in particular; we’ve been very surprised at how popular they’ve become. I traveled to several of our restaurants and talked to our bartenders and guests. They asked why we didn’t have beer specials anymore or offer a happy hour. When I got back, we tested mocktails and started offering them. Our customers responded well; they really like them. We’ve also brought back a $5 beer and a $5 margarita. We haven’t forgotten we need value built into the menu all day, every day.
Learn more about The Table
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