A Virginia Couple is Eating Their Way Across the U.S.

ZANESVILLE, OH – A retired couple from Virginia is on a mission to eat at every Texas Roadhouse location in the United States.

Judy and Mike McNamara recently made their 438th stop at the Texas Roadhouse in Zanesville.

Their dream of visiting all the Roadhouse locations began back in 2003 while they were visiting Judy’s brother in Tennessee. However, it wasn’t until Judy retired for the second time in 2017 that they fully committed to pursuing this dream.

“At the end of 2017, we had been to 37 [locations]. At that point [Judy] retired for the second time and so it was like ‘Let’s go see how many we can go to’,” Mike McNamara said. “So counting today, we’ve been to more than 400 since then, we’ve been in all 48 continental States, at least one Roadhouse.”

The couple says their love of traveling, good food, and friendship keeps them motivated on this mission. Mike explains that on some of their road trips, they can stop at up to 15 different locations.

The food is the same but it’s the people they meet that make their experience much more than just dining at a restaurant.

“We love the food, we wouldn’t keep coming back if we didn’t, but not as much as visiting with the people,” Mike said. “Texas Roadhouse employees are just a wonderful group of people and you will meet, most of the time, more than once, 3 or 4 people here and there. They’ll be at another restaurant, either opening a restaurant or they’ve been transferred to a higher position and you’ll meet them again.”

The couple’s love for the Roadhouse is even shared by their dog Andy, who they named after the mascot, Andy Armadillo. The McNamara’s say they have 9 more stops on this road trip planned before they return home.