Texas Roadhouse under fire from Trump-backed legal group over DEI
Conservative lawyers are arguing that the 600-store steak chain has allegedly given women and people of color preferential treatment in hiring.
A complaint by America First Legal (AFL) — a group founded by the White House's deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller — will likely get the ball rolling on a company investigation by America's federal job discrimination watchdog.
'Texas Roadhouse's policies are a relic of an era where DEI contaminated American culture with the false belief that good intentions make discrimination okay,' Will Scolinos, counsel for the group, wrote.
'It is past time for Texas Roadhouse to join other companies in clearing DEI off Americans' tables for good.'
AFL's filing is part of a broader conservative push to dismantle corporate DEI programs — one that's already triggered rollbacks at major companies like Ford, John Deere, and Tractor Supply Co.
At the center of AFL's latest challenge are Texas Roadhouse's updates to Wall Street.
The company promoted its hiring initiatives and leadership summits in its financial records.
AFL claimed both programs were illegal because they are exclusionary of white men.
Still, Texas Roadhouse — which groups women and nonwhite employees together in its diversity disclosures — has fallen short of creating actual diversity in the boardroom.
The AFL notes that 50 percent of its board is white and male, and the complaint doesn't focus on the restaurant chain's broader workforce.
To consumers, Texas Roadhouse, a Kentucky-based chain, has a reputation for high-performing restaurants and rowdy atmospheres.
In 2024, the company overtook Olive Garden, claiming the top revenue spot among American restaurants.
Olive Garden had held the revenue crown among restaurants for seven straight years.
Texas Roadhouse didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2017, during President Donald Trump's first administration, Texas Roadhouse settled a $12 Million government complaint, alleging the company avoided hiring restaurant workers over 40.
Jerry Morgan, the brand's CEO, has been the top boss since March 2021
AFL has filed similar complaints against major corporations including IBM, Target, Cracker Barrel, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The group's efforts — along with those of other conservative legal organizations — appear to be making headway.
Since Trump returned to the White House, multiple billion-dollar companies including Meta, Walmart, Target, and Disney have scaled back or rebranded diversity programs.
McDonald's, for example, announced in January that it would stop setting hiring goals tied to race and gender.
The company has faced multiple legal challenges, including over its 40-year-old HACER scholarship program, which has awarded more than $33 million to 17,000 students.
The scholarship initially required applicants to have at least one Latino or Hispanic parent.
In February, the company settled legal complaints about the program, changing language to say applicants 'must demonstrate their impact and contribution to the Hispanic/Latino community through their activities, leadership and service.'
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