Texas Roadhouse CEO, Kent Taylor, gave away $800k from his salary and bonuses to help his employees amid the pandemic. When his company started in the early 1990s, the 64-year-old struggled financially as a single father raising his two daughters. He relied on his parents for monetary support and sometimes even for housing.
He told People that he knows what it is to struggle, and his experiences are a big part of the reasons he wants to help people. He said that many people think that when a person experiences hard times, it leaves when you surpass that stage. In reality, it stays in your head. Later in life, all you want to do is to give back in the same way.
Taylor donates to help his employees
Even though his business has slowed down amid the pandemic, the single father has not yet laid anyone off from his company. He donated his yearly salary and bonus amounting to $800,000 to his employees to help them. Apart from that, he also gave $5 million to Andy's Outreach, an emergency fund which he set up 18 years ago. Its goal is to help his employees pay rent, mortgage, utility bills, and funeral expenses.
The single father treats his employees as his family
The CEO noticed that many of his workers were looking for the fund for help. He found that the funds were quickly getting depleted, which prompted him to donate millions from his pocket. At the age of 64, the single father calls people below age 55 kids. He has 70,000 kids, and he wants to take care of them. Adding to that, he said that he relates them with his own family, so he takes care of them as his own.
The founder of Texas Roadhouse, Taylor, also bought protective gear for his employees to wear amid the pandemic. He bought latex gloves, masks, and eyewear and gave them to workers to his nearly 600 restaurants. He also got to work, creating a sort of stimulus package meant for his Texas Roadhouse family.
Now is the right time to help
As a single father, he believes that what he did is right because that was the way his parents raised him. He added that this is the right time to persist and think differently. Other than that, it is also right to take care of those who are with you and try to lift everyone's spirits and move forward.
The CEO said that people's response to his efforts has been great. Some of the hundreds of thank you letters he has received has made him shed a few tears.
The single father businessman said he hopes that his employees would take after his generosity. He wants them to transfer the love that he is showing his people with others.
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