Texas Roadhouse founder Kent Taylor dead at 65

Kent Taylor, the founder and CEO of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain, died Thursday, the company said in a news release. He was 65.

>> Read more trending news

Taylor, 65, founded the Louisville, Kentucky-based public company in 1993, the Courier-Journal reported.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Kent Taylor. He founded Texas Roadhouse and dedicated himself to building it into a legendary experience for ‘Roadies’ and restaurant guests alike,” Greg Moore, lead director of the company’s board of directors, said in a statement. “During the pandemic, he gave up his entire compensation package to help support his frontline workers. This selfless act was no surprise to anyone who knew Kent and his strong belief in servant leadership.

We will miss you, Kent. Because of you and your dream of Texas Roadhouse, we get to say we ❤ our jobs every day. #WeLoveYouKent #TXRHFamily #RoadhouseStrong
Posted by Texas Roadhouse on Friday, March 19, 2021

“He was without a doubt, a people-first leader. His entrepreneurial spirit will live on in the company he built, the projects he supported and the lives he touched.”

In a statement Friday afternoon, Texas Roadhouse said Taylor took his own life after experiencing lingering symptoms related to COVID-19.

“After a battle with post-Covid related symptoms, including severe tinnitus, Kent Taylor took his own life this week,” the statement said. “Kent battled and fought hard like the former track champion that he was, but the suffering that greatly intensified in recent days became unbearable.”

Known for his signature brown cowboy hat, Taylor began his career in the restaurant industry working for Bennigan’s in the 1980s and later as a manager at KFC in the early 1990s, Louisville Business First reported. His first restaurant concept, Buckhead Grill & Bar, opened in 1991.

>> Coronavirus: Texas Roadhouse CEO surrenders salary to pay workers

The Texas Roadhouse board of directors appointed Gerald “Jerry” Morgan, 60, the company’s president, to serve as the company’s CEO effective immediately, according to Louisville Business First.

Morgan joined Texas Roadhouse in 1997 as a managing partner in Grand Prairie, Texas. Before joining Texas Roadhouse, Morgan was a multiunit operator with Bennigan’s Restaurants, the website reported.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer tweeted Thursday that the city had “lost a much loved and one-of-a-kind citizen.”

“Kent’s kind and generous spirit was his constant driving force whether it was quietly helping a friend or building one of America’s great companies in @texasroadhouse,” Fischer tweeted. “He was a maverick entrepreneur who embodied the values of never giving up and putting others first. My deepest condolences to Kent’s family and many, many friends.”

Taylor created the idea that would later become Texas Roadhouse on a cocktail napkin, CNN reported, citing a statement from Taylor’s family.

Louisville lost a much loved and one-of-a-kind citizen with Kent Taylor’s passing today. Kent’s kind and generous spirit was his constant driving force whether it was quietly helping a friend or building one of America’s great companies in @texasroadhouse. 1/2
— Mayor Greg Fischer (@louisvillemayor) March 19, 2021