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Texas Roadhouse confirmed on May 13 that it will open its third new Florida restaurant of 2026 in Winter Haven, with doors expected to open at the end of June. The 8,000-square-foot steakhouse on Cypress Gardens Boulevard will create approximately 220 full- and part-time jobs, the company said in an email to USA TODAY Network–Florida.
The Winter Haven build extends Texas Roadhouse’s expansion campaign across the Sunshine State, where the chain now operates 52 restaurants as of May 11 — 49 flagship Texas Roadhouse units and three Bubba’s 33 sports-bar locations.
Including Winter Haven, three new Florida Texas Roadhouse restaurants are slated for 2026. Mount Dora and Kissimmee are already operating, and Winter Haven will be the third when it debuts in late June.
Winter Haven, located in Polk County between Tampa and Orlando, joins a corridor that has become one of the most aggressive restaurant-growth zones in the southeastern United States. The metro’s population has expanded steadily on the strength of relocation activity from higher-cost Northeast and Midwest cities, and full-service steakhouses such as Texas Roadhouse have followed the demand.
Florida fits squarely inside the company’s broader development push. Texas Roadhouse has already opened seven new company-owned restaurants in 2026 — including Florida units in Mount Dora and Kissimmee — and currently has 22 restaurants under construction nationwide.
“On the development front, we have already opened seven company restaurants so far this year.” — CEO Jerry Morgan, May 7
The Winter Haven disclosure followed CEO Jerry Morgan’s Q1 2026 earnings remarks confirming that the company plans roughly 35 new restaurants in 2026 across its three brands: the flagship Texas Roadhouse, family sports bar Bubba’s 33, and fast-casual Jaggers. Domestic Q1 revenue grew 12.8% year-over-year to $1.63 billion, easily clearing analyst estimates.
The Winter Haven restaurant will hire approximately 220 full- and part-time workers, the chain confirmed. Hiring is already underway, with on-site interviews held in the weeks leading to the grand opening.
Each new Texas Roadhouse averages an opening payroll of roughly 200 hires per location, making the chain one of the larger casual-dining employers per unit in the U.S. Locations in Florida have historically tracked toward the company’s higher average unit volumes thanks to year-round tourism flow and a strong base of retiree-segment regulars.
Texas Roadhouse implemented a 1.9% menu price increase in early April 2026, the company’s first revision of the year. Management has historically reviewed prices twice annually, with adjustments tied to wage inflation rather than commodity costs. The Winter Haven opening will reflect those updated prices, and the chain remains positioned squarely in the value-driven mid-tier steakhouse category.
For international operators tracking U.S. full-service steakhouse benchmarks, Texas Roadhouse’s 52-store Florida footprint illustrates how deeply the brand has penetrated a single high-tourism state. The Winter Haven build adds another data point for master franchisees in Asia and the Middle East studying the brand’s site-selection rigor and 200-plus-job opening payroll.
Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune — Texas Roadhouse opening in Winter Haven, 3rd 2026 new Florida location
