Texas Roadhouse CEO Kent Taylor Dies Amid COVID-19 Struggle

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kent Taylor, founder and CEO of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain, has died. He was 65.

His family and the company say he took his own life after suffering from symptoms related to COVID-19, including severe tinnitus, a condition involving ringing or or other noises in one or both ears.

Experts say the coronavirus can exacerbate tinnitus problems.

Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant in 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana, coming up with the idea on a cocktail napkin.

It currently operates 610 restaurants in 49 states and 10 other countries.

Texas Roadhouse is based in Taylor’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

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