Made From Scratch: The Legendary Success Story of Texas Roadhouse - Hardcover

Taylor, Kent

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1982185708 ISBN 13: 9781982185701

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2021

Synopsis

* An Instant Wall Street Journal Bestseller *

From founder Kent Taylor, the incredible made-from-scratch success story of Texas Roadhouse.

In Made From Scratch, the late business maverick Kent Taylor tells the legendary story of Texas Roadhouse and in the process reveals its recipe for success: embracing unorthodox business practices. Because isn’t it a little unusual for a company to do almost no advertising? Is it wild to give away free peanuts and rolls and keep prices low, even as costs rise, or to keep the menu basically the same since it opened? Does it fly in the face of reason to prohibit coats and ties at headquarters and to have a CEO who dressed like he was part of the landscaping crew?

These business practices might be unconventional, but for Kent and Texas Roadhouse, they worked. What Kent and his Roadies cooked up is an island of misfits who are cool with being different. They love to have fun, but are serious about following meticulous recipes to serve up hand-cut steaks, fall-off-the-bone ribs, made-from-scratch sides, ice-cold beer, and irresistible fresh-baked bread. It’s Legendary Food, Legendary Service, the Texas Roadhouse way.

To show how this company became a staple of American dining and survived a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, Kent took a trip back in time to offer the lessons learned from his pathbreaking life, revealing how a distracted kid from Louisville, Kentucky, created anything worthwhile at all.

About this title

About the Author

Kent Taylor (1955–2021) was the founder, CEO, and chairman of the board of Texas Roadhouse restaurants. Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse in Clarksville, Indiana, in 1993. The Louisville-based company has grown to more than six hundred locations in forty-nine states with revenues of $2.8 billion. The company currently operates in ten foreign countries. A Louisville native, Taylor attended the University of North Carolina on a track scholarship where he earned a bachelor of science degree. Taylor was an active supporter of a number of organizations, including Homes for Our Troops, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics Kentucky, and the Kentucky Nature Conservancy. One hundred percent of the profits from this book will be donated to the Texas Roadhouse employee assistance fund, called Andy’s Outreach.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1: Born to Run

MADE-FROM-SCRATCH SIDES (WHAT I LEARNED):

• There’s a perception that we can’t do much about our weaknesses in life, so we should focus only on our strengths. That’s BS. We can often get better at something if we love it and are willing to put in the work (running, in my case). In some cases, we can even become outstanding. Weaknesses can become our strengths.
• Find yourself a good coach who will give you honest feedback. Tiger Woods has a coach, Serena Williams has a coach. If every great athlete has a coach, shouldn’t every great salesperson/businessperson/etc. have someone who will give it to them straight on how they can get better and what they can do to push themselves?
• If you outwork the other guys, you’ll get where you want to go. Pain is not necessarily your enemy; it teaches you a lot about yourself and what you are capable of.
• Never underestimate the power of a simple but symbolic motivator (even a cheap T-shirt).
• If your team needs you, then show up (I had the flu at the state meet, but my team was counting on me).
• Positive reinforcement inspires much greater performance than fear ever can. Great leaders show their people a better way, i.e., what they can achieve if they strive for greatness.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1982185708
• ISBN 13: 9781982185701
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320