Texas Roadhouse to expand Aspen CreekTexas Roadhouse to expand Aspen Creek

Ron Ruggless

Texas Roadhouse Inc. is expanding its Aspen Creek casual-dining concept, with a second location opening Aug. 2 in Irving, Texas, and a third planned for Fayetteville, N.C., by the end of the year, executives said Thursday.

The company said it is seeking other locations for the fledgling Colorado-themed brand, which the 337-unit Texas Roadhouse debuted in February 2009 in its headquarters city of Louisville, Ky.

The 275-seat concept is the creative offspring of W. Kent Taylor, the founder of Texas Roadhouse, who at the time of its debut said Aspen Creek was “not competing with Roadhouse” because of its limited steak offerings and a broader menu. Texas Roadhouse has a wide range of steaks, which account for about half its sales.

Travis Doster, spokesman for Texas Roadhouse, said the second Aspen Creek is located in a former Bennigan's and will be open for lunch and dinner, unlike the original Louisville location, which serves lunch only on the weekends.

John Beck, Texas Roadhouse’s Aspen Creek market partner, said Thursday that the menu at the new location has been “tweaked” a bit to reflect the additional daypart.

“When we go to Irving, we’ll add a couple of more items that will be more geared toward lunch, including a soup-salad-sandwich combo,” he said.

Beck said Aspen Creek targets value-conscious diners with a menu that has more than 60 items at less than $10. The concept's average per-person check is about $12, including beverages, though he said he expects lunch service at the Irving location to trim a bit off the check average.

Texas Roadhouse is looking for potential sites for Aspen Creek in other markets, though future units most likely won't be conversions like the Irving location, Beck said.

“We will entertain anything including end caps and remodels,” he said, “but the majority of our growth will be ground-up.”

Aspen Creek features a rugged-stone exterior and a mountain-lodge-inspired interior that includes stone, barn-wood accents and antique light fixtures.

Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse in 1993. He also created the Colorado-themed Buckhead Grill in 1991 and sold it in 1994.

Last month, Texas Roadhouse reported higher profit and positive same-store for the March-ended first quarter. At the time, president and chief executive G.J. Hart said the company was "committed to investing in new restaurant growth that generates a solid return on invested capital and allows us to maintain a conservative capital structure."

Also in May, Texas Roadhouse said it would open its first restaurant outside of the United States next year. The company signed an agreement with Kuwait-based retailer M.H. Alshaya Co. that calls for the development of 35 Texas Roadhouse restaurants over the next 10 years. The locations will be spread across eight Middle East countries, with the first location expected to open in first quarter 2011.

Texas Roadhouse operates or franchises 337 restaurants in 46 states.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].