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.
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“An inspiration to all who have had a dream. These pages tell the moving, funny, and instructional story of Kent Taylor, who built one of the world’s most powerful restaurant brands by putting his people first. Not only is the story a rollicking read, but you will be moved and inspired to do something legendary yourself.”
— Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times bestselling author
“This is the story of a business run unconventionally, written by the guy who did it first. Part memoir, part business tale, this book also includes some helpful hints that anyone can use.”
— Tennessee LedgerBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Kent Taylor (1955–2021) was the founder, CEO, and chairman of the board of Texas Roadhouse restaurants. He 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 and also operates in ten foreign countries. A Louisville native, he attended the University of North Carolina on a track scholarship where he earned a bachelor of science degree.He 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 are donated to the Texas Roadhouse employee assistance fund, called Andy’s Outreach.
George Newbern is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a television and film actor best known for his roles as Brian MacKenzie in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, as well as Danny in Friends. As a voice actor, he is notable for his role as Superman on the Cartoon Newtork series Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. He has guest starred on many television series, including Scandal, The Mentalist, Private Practice, CSI: Miami, and Numb3rs. He holds a BA in theater arts from Northwestern University.