News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville’s long awaited Texas Roadhouse officially opened Monday.
The Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Randy Porter and restaurant staff gathered for the ribbon cutting. Managing Partner Jim Jolly said his crew is ready for an expected busy opening day.
“We open the doors at three today,” Jolly said. “We practiced this weekend. We were able to raise some money and donate to Rich Froning’s Crossfit Mayhem Mission on Saturday and to the Mayor’s Better Cookeville on Friday and had a lot of fun practicing serving the local community, so we are ready to go.”
Jolly said he choose Cookeville based on demand and other restaurants having high success in the area. Jolly said patrons can expect hand-cut steaks with homemade Texas themed sides.
“We looked into it for quite a while,” Jolly said. “I grew up outside of Memphis. The last company I worked for was Cracker Barrel, and I was there for 16 years, and I knew this was the number one Cracker Barrel in the nation for years and years. Also, O’Charley’s is there number one store here. All these stores do really high sells for their concepts, and we thought this would be a great location.”
About 225 employees will operate the restaurant, which is the 17th location in Tennessee. Texas Roadhouse is located on Interstate Drive near the Shoppes at Eagle Point.
“We make all of our side items and dressings made from scratch,” Jolly said. “Our bread is fresh baked here. We make our butter, croutons, everything is made in- house. It’s kinda like going to grandma’s house. It’s an old fashion of doing things. It costs a little more money labor wise, but in the long run, we think it is worth it and that is what our guests want.”
Jolly said he recommends customers to try the call ahead seating to put your name on the wait list. Store hours are Monday – Thursday 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
