Texas Roadhouse founder and CEO Kent Taylor took his own life last week after a bout of COVID-19 left the 65-year-old restaurateur with a debilitating case of tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, Taylor's family and company said. Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse in 1993, growing the Louisville, Ky.-based company to 610 locations, and last year he stopped taking his salary and bonuses, donating $5 million to help his company's employees struggling during the pandemic.

Texas Roadhouse has already made some changes to accommodate more to-go orders, such as turning its outdoor overhangs into curbside pickup areas, and the chain may make additional changes to its building prototype as it continue to open new units. The Louisville, Ky.-based company is also planning to grow its drive-thru concept, Jaggers, with one new unit scheduled to open this year.

Texas Roadhouse founder and CEO Kent Taylor will forego his salary and bonus until Jan. 7, 2021, to free up money to help the chain's hourly employees during the pandemic, the company reported in a regulatory filing. The Louisville, Ky.-based chain operates about 500 US locations.

Texas Roadhouse hasn't changed its formula of line dancers, jukeboxes and hand-picked steaks much since the first eatery opened in 1993, said founder and CEO Kent Taylor. Sticking with its original concept instead of chasing fads has kept the brand's fans loyal, and the chain acts more local than national by not advertising nationally and by investing in local communities.

Louisville, Ky.-based Texas Roadhouse isn't adding gluten-free items to the menu but it is cutting the gluten out of dishes where it can and training servers on how to answer questions from customers with celiac disease and gluten allergies. The chain discontinued a gluten-free menu shortly after launching it six years ago, amid concerns about the possibility for cross-contamination in the kitchen, said spokesman Travis Doster.