West Katy’s I-10 corridor will get a new national restaurant as Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen plans a full-service location at 29053 Katy Freeway in Texas Heritage Marketplace. The standalone, 5,864-square-foot building is expected to open by late December 2026. The addition provides another family-friendly option along a corridor that regularly welcomes big-brand restaurants.
Permits lay out the schedule, size and cost
State paperwork spills most of the details. The TABS registration for the project (TABS2026010080) lists an April 20, 2026 construction start and a December 25, 2026 completion date. The filing classifies the work as new construction for a 5,864-square-foot restaurant, with an estimated price tag of $3,776,000 and a scope that includes a dumpster enclosure, parking lot, landscaping and utilities. It also names Pederson Road Town Center – 139 LLC as the owner and places the project in Waller County, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
What Cheddar’s brings to the lineup
Cheddar’s got its start in Arlington in 1979, when founders Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers opened the original restaurant, a concept that later rebranded as Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. The chain now leans on the slogan “Get a lot. For not a lot.” and reports more than 180 restaurants across 28 states. It joined the Orlando-based portfolio of Darden Restaurants in 2017, when the casual-dining giant acquired the brand, according to Darden Restaurants.
How the new Cheddar’s fits into Texas Heritage Marketplace
Cheddar’s will plug into a growing roster at Texas Heritage Marketplace, the mixed-use retail hub near Jordan Ranch that has been steadily pulling in national anchors and restaurant concepts. Local coverage has followed a wave of big-box and dining tenants targeting the center to serve the surge of nearby rooftops, according to My Neighborhood News, while leasing materials from Johnson Development pitch the plaza as a go-to destination for the rapidly expanding subdivisions along that stretch of I-10. That kind of momentum helps explain why multiple full-service restaurant projects are moving forward in the same corridor.
Company outreach and next steps
Reporters have already reached out to Cheddar’s operations leadership for more on the West Katy plans, but did not receive a response before publication, according to What Now Houston. For the moment, the TABS registration remains the key public document outlining the project’s timeline and cost, per the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. With a mid-April site start listed on the filing, residents could start to see contractor signs, permit activity and early hiring chatter emerging as the build moves from paperwork to dirt work.
What locals can expect when it opens
Once the doors open, West Katy diners can expect the usual Cheddar’s lineup of scratch-made comfort dishes, family bundles that aim to feed groups for under roughly $50, and shareable appetizers like Buffalo Beer-Battered Shrimp and the signature honey-butter croissants that tend to disappear fast at the table, according to Cheddar’s. The chain’s value-focused pitch has made it a reliable draw for families and weeknight crowds in other fast-growing suburbs. Until construction fencing goes up, the timeline laid out in the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing is still the best clue for when ground will break and when a wave of job postings is likely to follow.
