Case Study: Texas Roadhouse strengthens culture and boosts employee engagement with O.C. Tanner's Living Legends recognition program

Texas Roadhouse - Customer Case Study

Texas Roadhouse is a rapidly growing, $1.2 billion, 335-unit restaurant chain built on a deliberately fun, people-first culture. Facing the challenge of scaling that culture across hundreds of locations — and defending continued investment in employee recognition during tight economic times — leadership needed a way to keep “Legendary People having Legendary Fun” consistent as the company expanded.

Texas Roadhouse partnered with O.C. Tanner to create the Living Legends recognition platform and deliver Carrot Culture training, formalizing contests, milestones and best practices into a cohesive toolkit for operators. The program drove measurable results: locations using recognition most saw a 30% reduction in turnover, fewer negative employee calls, and company-wide gains in 2009 including a 29% increase in diluted EPS, a 58.6% YTD stock rise, and a 237-basis-point improvement in restaurant margins.

Texas Roadhouse

G.J. Hart

Chief Executive Officer