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Texas Roadhouse adds Jane Grote Abell to the board, adjusts executive compensationTexas Roadhouse adds Jane Grote Abell to the board, adjusts executive compensation

Texas Roadhouse added a Donatos Pizza executive to its board and adjusted compensation to “align with the target percentage parameters.”

Alicia Kelso, Executive Editor

March 1, 2024

2 Min Read
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Texas Roadhouse increased the size of its board from eight to nine members.Photo courtesy of Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse today announced that Jane Grote Abell has been appointed to the company’s board of directors, increasing membership from eight to nine. Abell is the executive chairwoman of the board of directors and chief purpose officer at Columbus, Ohio-based Donatos Pizza, which counts over 460 locations in 29 states.

Abell is also a founding family member of Donatos Pizza and Jane’s Dough Premium Foods. She previously served as senior vice president of business development for Donatos, where she led franchising and development during the time when Donatos was owned by McDonald’s.

“We are excited to have Jane join our board of directors. With over 30 years in the restaurant industry, her operations experience and commitment to people-first leadership will be an asset to our company,” CEO Jerry Morgan said in a statement.

With the addition of Abell, the chain’s board now includes Chairman Gregory Moore, James Zarley, Curtis Warfield, Michael Crawford, Kathleen Widmer, Jerry Morgan, Donna Epps, and Wayne Jones.

Additionally, in an 8-K filed March 1, Texas Roadhouse announced compensation adjustments for executives at its Louisville, Ky.-based headquarters. The adjustments were made to “align with the target percentage parameters used by management,” and included increased base salaries for Morgan, as well as President Gina Tobin, CFO Chris Morgan, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer Chris Colson, Chief Technology Officer Hernan Mujica, and Chief Communications Officer Travis Doster. These executives’ target incentive bonuses also increased.

Related:Texas Roadhouse is ‘very happy with the consumer right now’

Texas Roadhouse has been on a tear as of late, with over 11 consecutive years of positive traffic growth. The company’s most recent quarterly comp sales were up nearly 10%, while average unit volumes surpassed $7.6 million in 2023. According to Technomic Ignite data, sales at company-owned restaurants have increased by over 200% in the past five years, while unit growth is up about 70%. There are currently over 740 restaurants systemwide in 49 states and 10 international markets. The company plans to open about 30 new restaurants this year across its three brands – Texas Roadhouse, Jaggers, and Bubba’s 33.

Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]

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About the Author

Alicia Kelso

Executive Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Alicia Kelso is the executive editor of Nation's Restaurant News. She began covering the restaurant industry in 2010 for QSRweb.com, FastCasual.com and PizzaMarketplace.com. When her son was born, she left the industry to pursue a role in higher education, but swiftly returned after realizing how much she missed the space. In filling that void, Alicia added a contributor role at Restaurant Dive and a senior contributor role at Forbes.
Her work has appeared in publications around the world, including Forbes Asia, NPR, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times, Crain's Chicago, Good Morning America and Franchise Asia Magazine.
Alicia holds a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University, where she competed on the women's swim team. In addition to cheering for the BGSU Falcons, Alicia is a rabid Michigan fan and will talk about college football with anyone willing to engage. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her wife and son.

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