(CBSDFW.COM/CNN) – Texas Roadhouse founder and CEO Kent Taylor passed away on Thursday, according to a post on the restaurant chain’s Facebook page. He was 65.
“Our community and the restaurant industry lost a legend this week and the Taylor family lost a wonderful son, father and grandfather this week,” said a joint statement from Taylor’s family and Texas Roadhouse sent to CNN on Saturday.
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The statement said Taylor died of suicide after battling post-COVID-related symptoms, including severe tinnitus or ringing in the ears, and his suffering had increased in recent days.
Taylor had funded a clinical trial to help members of the military who suffer from tinnitus, the statement said.
Kent Taylor founder and CEO of Texas RoadhouseTexas Roadhouse
“Kent leaves an unparalleled legacy as the people’s leader first, which is why he often said Texas Roadhouse was a people company that happened to serve steaks,” the statement said.
“He has changed the lives of hundreds of millions of employees and guests over the past 28 years.”
Texas Roadhouse is located in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer tweeted Thursday that the city had “lost a much-loved and unique citizen.”
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“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 businesses at @texasroadhouse,” Fisher wrote. “He was a self-willed entrepreneur who embodied the values of never giving up and putting others first. My deepest condolences to the Kent family and many, many friends. “
Taylor gave up his salary from March 2020 to January 2021 and donated the money to help front-line restaurant employees during the pandemic, reported WAVE, a CNN affiliate.
A Facebook post from the company said Friday, “We’ll miss you, Kent. Because of you and your Texas Roadhouse dream, we can say that we (love) our job every day. The post used a heart emoji instead of the word love.
Taylor created the idea that later would become Texas Roadhouse on a cocktail napkin, the family statement said.
First opened in 1993, according to the company’s website, Texas Roadhouse has more than 600 locations in the United States and 10 restaurants overseas. There are 15 locations in the North Texas region.
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