Expansion of third-party gift card sales at Texas Roadhouse helped boost Q4 comps at the chain, whose sales gains have bucked recent declines seen by several concepts in the casual-dining segment.
Texas Roadhouse has increased the number of retailers—including drug stores and supermarkets—through which it distributes gift cards, leading to higher gift card sales during the 2015 holiday season, as well as throughout the full year, execs told analysts on a conference call Monday.
Though the chain hasn’t expanded in-store efforts to sell gift cards, those sales climbed as well, CEO Kent Taylor noted.
Falling unemployment, unit remodels and lower gas prices also played a role in Texas Roadhouse’s 4.5 percent comps rise, President and interim CFO Scott Colosi said.
Net income at the chain increased 24 percent year over year during Q4, to just below $23 million.
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