American steakhouse opens shop in Dubai

Dubai: Texas Roadhouse, the Texas-based steakhouse, opened its first international restaurant in the Dubai Mall Thursday.

The casual dining restaurant known for its American steaks and relaxed Texan theme is the latest in a slew of American food outlets to launch in the UAE along with IHOP, Red Lobster and Potbelly Sandwich Shop.

"We're a casual themed restaurant, we have country music, we cut our own meat in the house and we fresh-bake our own bread," said Kent Taylor, founder and chairman of Texas Roadhouse.

Texas Roadhouse was founded in 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana, and has grown to 350 outlets across the US. Dubai will mark their first international location and the beginning of their expansion plan in the Mena region with M.H. Al Shaya Co, a Kuwaiti based franchisee company which specialises in US brands.

The chain is looking to open 35 restaurants in the next 10 years in eight countries in the Mena region.

While they can't reveal the exact location or timeframe of their next outlet, Taylor said it will most likely be in Dubai or Kuwait.

To maintain the same taste as in their US-based restaurants, the company imports its steaks, potatoes, peanuts and chicken from the US. "It's the type of quality we serve in the US and we wanted to maintain that quality overseas," said Taylor.

According to Taylor, during their soft opening they've already seen a lot of repeat clientele. "We've had a lot of people who have been back 4 or 5 times, but we've only been open a week," he said.

Outside the region, Texas Roadhouse is considering opening restaurants in China and Mexico.