There's no place quite like Texas Roadhouse. The uniquely delicious chain combines traditional steakhouse fare with a tasty dose of Southwestern and Tex-Mex-inspired cuisine that makes you feel like you're truly in the Lone Star State, no matter where you're sitting. However, if you assumed Texas Roadhouse traces its roots to the state that shares its name, think again. The first location of the popular restaurant opened over three decades ago in Indiana.

The chain's founder, Kent Taylor, opened the doors of the first Texas Roadhouse in Clarksville, Indiana, in 1993. The small town of just over 20,000 residents is located just across the Ohio River from the more populous city of Louisville, Kentucky. It was situated in the town's Green Tree Mall, where a Texas Roadhouse continues to operate 32 years later. 

This somewhat unlikely eatery came to be through investments from a group of local doctors that provided the $300,000 required to get the first Texas Roadhouse off the ground after Taylor was denied by dozens of traditional lenders. This might have had something to do with Taylor's now-famous concept drawing sketched out in pen on a cocktail napkin — not exactly a conventional business plan!

Way more than just Texas

Texas Roadhouse exterior during daytime

George Sheldon/Shutterstock

Today, there are dozens of Texas Roadhouse locations in its namesake state, though it's not clear exactly when the first actual Lone Star State restaurant opened. However, it's possible it was part of the rapid expansion of the company in the late 1990s, when an additional 66 restaurants opened in the six years following its founding. By the early 2000s, this had ramped up to around 25 new locations each year.

Although a lot has changed in the three decades since the chain was founded, if you time-traveled back to 1993, you would find that eating at the first Texas Roadhouse is similar in many ways to the experience today. Peanuts and the iconic rolls have always been free, and the food has always been made from scratch, a key part of Taylor's initial concept. However, other aspects, like the restaurant's instantly recognizable exterior design, came later.

Texas Roadhouse has undoubtedly become a favorite for millions of Americans with its quality food, reasonable prices, and decidedly unfancy take on the traditional steakhouse (though that doesn't mean there aren't rules you need to know for eating there). The next time you're enjoying a juicy steak or flavorful Southwestern entree, remember where it all started — not Texas, but Clarksville, Indiana.