Texas Roadhouse's Fast Casual Venture You've Probably Never Heard Of

It's been around since 2014, but so far only select markets have had the opportunity to become familiar with Jaggers. Much like its parent company Texas Roadhouse, the fast casual restaurant made its debut in Indiana, employing the same familiar scratch-made concept of the steakhouse chain. It's now expanded to four states and opened its first international location, signs that the comparatively fledgling burger and chicken business is taking strides to reach new customers while checking its expectations against a manageable model.

While many have likely never heard of Jaggers before now, there is a good chance you'll be wondering how soon you might be able to check one out after learning a bit more about the chain offering side substitutions like mac and cheese and edamame. For starters, it's worth mentioning that even fine details were given thorough consideration in planning the experience for guests, all the way down to the size of the grind used for the hamburgers. With a Southern favorite appearing in sandwich form and the potential to add a breakfast staple as a topping across the board, the menu surprises are more than just limited offers — which may include a kick of their own.

Like his other concepts — Aspen Creek, Bubba's 33, and Buckhead Hickory Grill — Texas Roadhouse founder Kent Taylor had a particular idea in mind when he set out to create Jaggers. Namely, as he considered his own opinions on the well-established brands in the fast food business like Burger King, Wendy's, and KFC — working at the latter for some time — the serial entrepreneur wondered a mashup of these concepts could produce. Taylor told Louisville Business First that the question he'd asked was, "What if Chick-fil-A and Five Guys got married and had a kid?"

The result is the fast casual restaurant chain serving scratch-made burgers, chicken sandwiches, and chicken tenders as well as freshly prepared salads that its customers have taken quite a liking to. As for the chain's name, it has nothing to do with The Rolling Stones founding frontman Mick Jagger and everything to do with Taylor's uncle and fellow entrepreneur, Bill Taylor, who had a hand in several businesses in Lexington, Kentucky — everything from real estate to nightlife and even selling Christmas trees. "Jagger" is an English term to describe a peddler, and Taylor — who has a penchant for naming his restaurant concepts for things he loves — thought it would be a great way to honor his uncle, who proved there's more to Lexington than Wildcat basketball.

Not long after Taylor tragically took his own life while dealing prolonged symptoms following a COVID-19 infection, the posthumous release of his book, "Made From Scratch: The Legendary Success Story of Texas Roadhouse," helped paint a picture of what went into developing Jaggers. As he'd explained, establishing the chain's identity as a scratch-made concept required going over all the details — everything from the meat-to-fat ratio of the burgers to the size of the grind in preparing the hamburger, the marinades used on the meat, and what kind of bun the finished product would be placed on.

A similar attentiveness was paid to developing the interior aesthetic of the restaurant and fleshing out the menu that runs the gamut from healthy to decadent options. While a grilled chicken sandwich topped with avocado or a black bean veggie burger can be paired with a fruit cup or edamame, guests can just as readily swap their french fries for tater tots and pair their meal with a hand-spun milkshake. Of course, not knowing what would work, Taylor had opened the first Jaggers in Noblesville, Indiana, a two-hour drive away from his Louisville, Kentucky hometown — where the iconic Hot Brown sandwich was born — so he would be less likely to hear about it from his friends if the restaurant flopped.

From a culinary standpoint, Jaggers appeals to both connoisseurs of Americana as well as those craving the next new thing. The attention to detail put into grinding the meat set the foundation for the menu's double-patty sandwiches like the Crazy Good Cheeseburger and its BBQ cheddar, bacon, and mushroom Swiss alternatives. More creative alternatives include the Green Chile Cheeseburger with a garlic mayo, the Sunrise Burger complete with ham and a fried egg — an optional addition to other sandwiches — as well as the Bacon Avocado Burger, the star ingredient of which also appears on the California Grilled Chicken sandwich.

On the poultry side, iterations of crispy chicken sandwiches topped with Jaggers proprietary sauce, in addition to a country fried option with country gravy that takes it to a new level. As for the freshly prepared salads, customers can opt for chicken options like one served with and grapes, paired with almonds and blue cheese; another includes a dressing akin to the Honey French offering at Texas Roadhouse. Others might enjoy a fully loaded taco salad with ground beef, tortilla strips, and other customary toppings. The aforementioned milkshakes, said to be quite thick, are available in standard flavors like vanilla on top of lively options like the chocolate chip cookie, banana split, and Ghirardelli Brownie Shake. All of that comes before considering the seasonal fare like the Korean hot chicken sandwich with spicy honey, ranch, and coleslaw.

For many fast casual food businesses, the widely recognized drive-thru and dining room combination proved to be another casualty of the pandemic. While some old-school chains have shifted gears to focus on drive-thru customers, allowing for walk-ups in ready-built modular designs as part of a way back from declining business, Jaggers went the other way with its customer service goal. Not only do the fast casual restaurants have a dining room, they also bring guests their meals much like at Chick-fil-A and Culver's restaurants. Additionally, Jaggers locations have wall-mounted televisions in their dining rooms indicating that the restaurant isn't looking for their customers to scarf down their meals as fast as possible and move on.

Of course, that doesn't mean that the chain isn't interested in providing prompt service for its guests. While promoting the Louisville, Kentucky location at the time of its opening, Managing Partner Troy Devries had explained how it was the objective to keep the drive-thru moving at a rate of 45 seconds per car, even with the scratch-made menu. As ambitious as that sounds, it's not nearly as lofty Taylor's goal of 35 seconds per car.

Though Jaggers is taking time to grow a sizable footprint — it's only present in four states as of 2025 — it has already expanded beyond the borders of the United States with a location in South Korea. Before the Ansong River flows into Asan Bay in western South Korea, the U.S. Army's Camp Humphreys lays claim to Desiderio Army Airfield, the busiest airfield in Asia for America's soldiers. It is there that, along with a Texas Roadhouse and other restaurants, Jaggers opened up its first home away from home bringing American classics to servicemembers abroad.

And the location may be more than a one-off for the chain, even though Jaggers has strict expectations for its franchisees outside the United States. Opportunities are exclusively open to territories rather than single restaurants with markets outside the Western Hemisphere including Asia, Europe, and the Middle East; the specific territories listed are actually whole countries, and include Bahrain, Canada, Kuwait, Mexico, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and the already started South Korea. The Army's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation social media had helped promote the restaurants opening in September 2024. This came on top of an event run to build the excitement where some military families stationed at Camp Humphrey's were able to visit ahead of the official opening. One such family shared their experience and expressed how they were already looking forward to a return visit to try out more of the menu.

Participants in earnings calls for Texas Roadhouse have heard starkly different messaging on the growth strategy for the restaurant chains. Where the steakhouse and its sports bar chain Bubba's 33 are concerned, adding locations is a company-driven initiative — so much so, in fact, that Texas Roadhouse has been actively acquiring franchise-owned restaurants to expand its roster. The same cannot be said for Jaggers, which is leaning into franchise opportunities as its number of locations has crept into the double digits.

In 2021, when Jaggers only had three locations in Indiana, the company reached an agreement with the Dallas, Texas-based franchisee The Saxton Group. Known for having helped Mazzio's Pizza — with its all-you-can-eat pizza buffet — expand through the 1980s and '90s before becoming one of the largest franchisees of McAlister's Deli, The Saxton Group's 2021 deal with Texas Roadhouse Inc. included plans to open 10 Jaggers locations across east and central Texas as well as in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As of 2025, the franchisee has opened Jaggers in Katy and Longview, with a third expected to open in Texarkana in 2026. Other locations for the fast casual chain have opened in Kentucky and North Carolina as well.

While it may seem like all systems go for Jaggers expansion, the company is keeping things under control. Even with plans to open as many as eight company- and franchise-owned locations in 2026, Jaggers hasn't shifted from its aim of temporarily capping its growth at a total of around 30 restaurants. By contrast, Bubba's 33 had an initial goal of around 200 locations despite debuting just a year before Jaggers (as of mid-2025, it's up over 50 total.)

Jaggers' future looks bright, but there's also a bit of temperance following its announcement to increase menu prices by about 1.7% as a means to offset inflation. Certainly not company-killing, but worth noting as the restaurant industry changes and certain aspects, like alcohol sales, decline. Even Jaggers' parent company, Texas Roadhouse, has been struggling since the start of 2025. That said, average weekly sales for the fast casual chain had increased by roughly $5,000 from about $71,000 per location to about $76,000 between the first and second quarters of 2025, with the average ticket amounting to less than $11.  All told, it's fair to say Jaggers remains cautiously optimistic going forward.