Kent Taylor Texas Roadhouse Founder Has Taken His Own Life | 22 Words

The CEO of Texas Roadhouse, who was hailed a hero for his incredible selflessness and generosity during the pandemic, has taken his own life.

Here's the full story...

The devastating news comes after he did something incredible for his staff during the pandemic.

via: Facebook

People have been left heartbroken...

At the start of the pandemic, Taylor immediately jumped to action to protect both the lives and the livelihoods of his employees.

via: Texas Roadhouse

 First, he bought latex gloves, masks, and eyewear for the workers in all his 600 restaurants, and he also got to work creating a stimulus package specifically for the Texas Roadhouse family.

"It’s how I was raised. I did what I felt was right."

via: Facebook

 Taylor, sixty-four, told PEOPLE: "This is that kind of time where you have to persist and think differently and take care of those that are with you and lift everyone’s spirits and march forward."

But then, the CEO took things one step further.

via: Facebook

 When he was forced to close his restaurants, he knew that he'd be leaving thousands of employees without work and, ultimately, without a secure income.

So, he decided to give a little something back.

via: Facebook

 Amazingly, the CEO donated the entirety of his yearly salary and his bonus to all of his employees.

As you can imagine, these donations totaled to a substantial sum of money...

Over $800,000, to be precise.

And, on top of this donation...

via: Facebook

A single Texas Roadhouse employee is yet to be laid off or made redundant - Taylor kept them all on the books.

"We are blessed to have his leadership."

"Kent Taylor has always said that Texas Roadhouse is a People-company that just happens to serve great steaks. The donation of his salary and bonus to help employees is the embodiment of that saying," a Texas Roadhouse spokesperson told The Hill.

And he didn't stop there.

He also contributed a further $5 million to an emergency fund called Andy’s Outreach, which he had set up for his employees eighteen-years ago to help with expenses such as rent and mortgage payments, utility bills, and funeral expenses.

Of the fund's origins, Taylor explained:

via: Facebook

 "We were doing that to take care of our people that might have a loved one die that needed money for a funeral or an operation. It would transition to where people gave part of their paycheck, whether ten cents or ten dollars, to help our people during times of need."

Taylor's charitable move earned him significant praise online.

"I always liked Texas Roadhouse, but this makes me love them so much more. Thank you, Kent Taylor. Class act, sir."

He earned the respect of people from all over the globe.

"God bless Kent Taylor!"

But sadly, after contacting COVID, he suffered from severe side effects...

Taylor suffered from tinnitus, a loud ringing in the ears, which his family says became unbearable just before he took his own life.

Tinnitus can become extremely loud and uncomfortable for those experiencing it.

His family said, "Kent battled and fought hard," but ultimately the suffering became too great."

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said...

"He was a maverick entrepreneur who embodied the values of never giving up and putting others first."

Kent was sixty-five.

Rest in peace.

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