Texas Roadhouse tests delivery for the first time through DoorDash

Texas Roadhouse is testing delivery for the first time through DoorDash, a small pilot that sends orders through the chain’s own website while the last mile is handled by a courier. The test uses in-store menu prices plus a $5.50 delivery fee and a tip for the driver, and Texas Roadhouse calls it a “micro-test” and a fact-finding mission.

The company is running the experiment in a few locations across urban, suburban and tourist markets. Travis Doster, Texas Roadhouse’s chief communications officer, said the chain wants to get better educated on delivery. The new test is separate from older select stores in dense urban markets such as New Rochelle, New York, that already offered delivery.

Inside a Texas Roadhouse unit, the operational load falls first on the kitchen. Delivery adds another timing clock to an already busy line, where cooks have to keep steaks, sides and appetizers moving at dine-in speed while also protecting food quality for a longer handoff. Expos sort dine-in plates from delivery bags, verify order accuracy before dispatch and manage packaging so entrées, rolls and sides survive the trip without getting crushed, soggy or overcooked. Hosts and managers face more pressure at the front door and on the phone as pickup, digital and delivery traffic compete with seated guests for attention.

In the first quarter of 2026, average weekly sales topped $174,000 per restaurant, with to-go sales accounting for more than $25,000, or 14.6% of weekly sales. Comparable sales at company restaurants rose 7.1%, and fiscal 2025 revenue reached $5.878 billion. The company also opened 28 company restaurants in 2025 across Texas Roadhouse, Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers.

W. Kent Taylor founded Texas Roadhouse in 1993 with the first restaurant in Clarksville, Indiana. In 2017, Taylor told investors, “We encourage all of our competitors to do as much delivery as they can so they can deliver lukewarm food to their people.” Even after Taylor’s death in March 2021, the chain kept leaning on dine-in and takeout.