Texas Roadhouse is getting ready to shut down the very first restaurant it ever opened, the Green Tree Mall spot in Clarksville, as the chain trades its original digs for a larger stand-alone location on Veterans Parkway. Company officials called the decision bittersweet and said the relocation will bring a more modern dining room and a lot more parking. The new restaurant is expected to open sometime in mid-November.
In a statement to WTSP, Texas Roadhouse said the Green Tree Mall restaurant on Lewis and Clark Parkway will close once construction wraps on a larger building near Bubba’s 33 on Veterans Parkway. The company did not give a firm closing date for the mall location, but told WTSP the new site is projected to open "sometime in mid-November." Restaurant officials again described the move as "bittersweet," saying the relocation is meant to better serve guests with more seating and updated amenities.
Why The Move Matters For Clarksville
The Green Tree Mall site is where it all started for the brand, the original restaurant where founder W. Kent Taylor launched Texas Roadhouse in 1993. For decades, it has been a reliable draw for both shoppers and diners in southern Indiana. Texas Roadhouse’s 2025 annual report notes that the company often relocates restaurants at the end of leases or to secure better sites, larger building prototypes and improved parking. Those are the same kinds of reasons the company pointed to for the Clarksville change. As of December 30, 2025, the company reported roughly 816 restaurants systemwide, a mix of company-owned and franchised locations, underscoring that the Clarksville move fits into a broader growth and real estate strategy, according to an SEC filing.
Growth And Scale Behind The Decision
Industry data show the chain has surged in recent years. Technomic’s 2024 ranking put Texas Roadhouse at roughly $5.5 billion in U.S. systemwide sales, a 14.7% increase that helped make it the top casual-dining chain by sales, according to Restaurant Business. That momentum has fueled remodels, relocations and dozens of new openings as the company works to bring older restaurants in line with its newer prototypes.
The Green Tree Mall leasing brochure and local directories list the mall at 757 E Lewis & Clark Pkwy and specifically call out the restaurant’s status as the original Texas Roadhouse, a detail that helps explain why the relocation landed as local headline material. The brochure from Mason Asset Management highlights the mall and notes the longtime tenant.
For customers and mall visitors, Texas Roadhouse has not published an exact closing date for the Green Tree Mall location beyond tying it to the mid-November opening window for the new restaurant. Patrons will need to keep an eye on the local store page and company updates for a specific timeline. The company is framing the move as an upgrade rather than a retreat, but it still marks the end of an era for the Clarksville storefront that launched the brand back in 1993.
