The Story Behind Those Murals At Texas Roadhouse

A bright red neon glow and gently waving flags beckon you into the lively steakhouse chain that is Texas Roadhouse. Inside, you'll be greeted with a rustic appearance of wood paneling and corrugated metal that call to mind a downhome dive somewhere out west — perhaps, if you will, a roadhouse in Texas. But if you look beyond this overtly bucolic ornamentation and tear your eyes briefly away from the iconic Texas Roadhouse peanuts and cinnamon butter and rolls on your table, you might catch sight of another striking decoration. Breaking up the uniformity of the walls are vibrant, detailed, and often unusual murals.

Now, if you're a Texas Roadhouse connoisseur and have found yourself in the expansive booths of more than one of these steakhouse establishments, you may have already noticed that the murals are pretty distinct. But it goes beyond mere distinction — even if you traveled to each of the chain's 620 locations, you won't find two murals alike. Each work of art is specially crafted for the restaurant it calls home, fashioned to reflect the surrounding community, and each brings its own whimsical flair to the steakhouse experience that's wholly unique. Well, nearly.

A slight caveat must be placed here. Each Texas Roadhouse restaurant has a mural of an older Native American man, typically up close and looking somber. This recurrent mural of slight variations is painted by someone who, according to the restaurant, is "the Texas Roadhouse artist." The restaurant's founder, W. Kent Taylor, believed the mural was good luck.

The other murals, though, are wide open in their subject matter. You could find a mural of a stockyard and its distinguished bovine residents or Texas Roadhouse mascot Andy Armadillo baiting a fish. Armadillo is a frequently painted personality; you might find him creating his own Texas version of the "Mona Lisa," playing a saloon piano in Texarkana, or sitting on the lap of the subject in "Whistler's Mother." 

The murals often capture elements of the community. For example, Dickson City, Pennsylvania (a town just north of Scranton) has a playful tribute to the beloved characters of "The Office," Athens, Ohio gets famous Ohioians at a tailgate, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania pays homage to the local steel industry. Other iconic painted scenes include the University of North Carolina Asheville cheerleaders standing alongside Andy Armadillo in front of a Blue Ridge Mountain backdrop and Armadillo running for office in front of the Albany, New York capitol building.

While there isn't just one mural artist to grace the Texas Roadhouse walls with playful paintings, many of these works of art do have a creator in common — a North Carolina-born artist named David Soileau. Soileau attended the University of North Carolina Asheville in the 1980s (and, naturally, is the painter behind that Asheville mountains-and-cheerleaders mural) to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts. And, although his website only identifies the steakhouse as a "national and international restaurant chain," the artist has painted more than 1,000 murals for Texas Roadhouse, featuring everything from athletes to musicians, landmarks to major local industries.

So, the next time you decide to eat at this popular U.S. steakhouse chain, take a look at the walls around you. Sure, you'll probably find a fair share of arts and crafts, neon signs, and big-screen televisions — but one wall will make that Texas Roadhouse location unique. And you can ponder whether Soileau (or any of the other undisclosed steakhouse artists) brought your community to life through the mural.