After nearly a quarter century of operation on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids, Texas Roadhouse is relocating – but it’s not going to move far.
Chris Scheck, owner and franchise operator of the Texas Roadhouse steakhouse at 2605 Edgewood Rd. SW, confirmed this week that he’s building a new restaurant at 2425 Edgewood Rd. SW, just north of the current location.
The site formerly served as the parking lot for the AMC Classic Westdale 12 movie theater complex, which was formally closed in January 2023. Carmike Cinemas opened the theater as the Wynnsong 12 in February 1999, but the theater closed after the August 2020 derecho and never reopened.
Mr. Scheck said his plans do not include the movie theater building. An online auction is slated for Dec. 2-4 for the 46,181-square-foot theater, with a starting bid of $250,000.
Mr. Scheck said he decided to move Texas Roadhouse for a few reasons. First, he said the current building is old, having been constructed in 2000.
Second, he noted that the lease on the building was reaching an end.
“We knew that our lease on our property here was going to be over in April 2025, so we’ve been looking at it for a while,” he said. “About a year and a half ago, we decided that this is what we were going to do. We were hoping to stay on the southwest side, and it worked out great that we found property that was that close to the restaurant.”
And third, the new location will encompass around 10,000 square feet – significantly larger than the current restaurant, which at 7,500 square feet, often sees long wait times and scarce parking, particularly on weekends.
Seating capacity will increase by about 75, and more parking will be available, Mr. Scheck said.
Takeout orders will also be served at a separate entrance, rather than a single entrance being shared by both dine-in and to-go customers.
“Due to the high volume of to-go (orders) after COVID, we don’t have waiting space inside anymore, so we will have waiting space with the new building,” he noted. “And you won’t have to fight the crowd to get into the to-go area.”
The new restaurant will also offer improved technology for both customers and staff, Mr. Schenk said.
Ground has already been broken for the new location, Mr. Scheck said, and plans call for the foundation to be poured this week. He said he plans to open the new restaurant in April 2025.
Mr. Scheck said he’s anticipating adding 40 to 50 new employees at the new restaurant, augmenting a “fully staffed” workforce of about 140 at the current location.
He also stressed that although Texas Roadhouse is a national chain, the ownership situation in Cedar Rapids is somewhat different than a standard franchise.
“it’s locally owned by me,” he said. “I’ve been here for 18 years. We may be a corporate restaurant, but we are locally owned, and I operate it. I’m here all the time.”
Mr. Scheck said he doesn’t own the current restaurant building, and he doesn’t know the future of that building after the new location opens.
