In September, news of a Texas Roadhouse restaurant coming to Hobbs became official when the popular restaurant chain applied for a full liquor license with the City of Hobbs.
During Monday’s Hobbs City Commission meeting, a resolution on the transfer of a liquor license for the store was unanimously approved.
The transfer of ownership of liquor license No. 0819 from Club Lumina, Velarde, N.M., north of Española, to Texas Roadhouse Holdings, LLC., which has an address of 4210 N. Lovington Highway. That address is just south of Magnolia Lane near Green Meadow Lake.
Kyla Stoker of New Mexico Liquor Licenses, represented Texas Roadhouse as a liquor license broker and consultant. Hobbs City Attorney Efren Cortez led the hearing with a series of questions. Stoker, who was present by phone, told the commission she is in charge of locating and transferring the ownership of the liquor license to Hobbs. She said once the license is transferred it will change from No. 0819 because the license will lose its package priviledges.
Following Cortez’s questions, the commission voted unanimously to approve the liquor license transfer.
“Ms. Stoker you received a unanimous vote in favor of the transfer,” Mayor Sam Cobb said. “Good luck to your clients. We hope they have a successful business here in Hobbs.”
As for when construction starts, that remains a mystery. Hobbs City Engineer Todd Randall and City Planner Kevin Robinson both said they have been in contact with Texas Roadhouse corporate officials regarding a building.
“The only thing we have right now is (Texas Roadhouse officials) sent a first review, or summary review for construction plans,” Randall said. “We have already made comments and sent them back to them.”
Randall said they have no news as to when a potential groundbreaking could take place.
“We have not received a schedule and typically we don’t ask questions like that,” Randall said. “We just review plans, send them back to them to them as soon as possible and then leave it up to them to bid out the project to any contractors.”
Phone messages left with Texas Roadhouse’s corporate office in Louisville, Ky., were not returned as of presstime on Thursday.
Texas Roadhouse has 590 locations in 49 states and 22 international locations. There are Texas Roadhouses located in Lubbock, Midland and Odessa. It is a dinner-only concept during the week but is open for lunch on weekends.
According to the company, the average Texas Roadhouse is 6,700-7,500 square feet and seats 291 guest. The average restaurant serves 5,000 guests each week and the No. 1 seller is a 6-ounce sirloin. Steaks account for 44% of the menu. The founder, chairman and chief executive officer, W. Kent Taylor, started the business in 1993 with the opening of the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Clarksville, Indiana.
Texas Roadhouse continues to grow. In the company’s second quarter financial statement in July 2019, the chairman said, “On the development front, we have opened 10 company restaurants so far this year. We have experienced some con struction delays that we expect will push some sites into early next year but remain focused on opening approximately 15 addi tional locations in 2019.”
The Hobbs location is potentially part of a larger commercial development in that area, which could include additional retail shops and restaurants.
In 2016, the Hawkins Companies pur sued 29 acres in that area on the Lov ington Highway for a shopping center to house multiple tenants of various sizes That project subsequently fell through but other buyers have since purchased portions of that acreage. Those new prop erty owners have already put in Hobbs projects such as the shopping center that houses Wingstop and the center that hous es the new Domino’s Pizza near Lowe’s Home Improvement.
