Virginia couple road-tripping to every Texas Roadhouse in the US makes Ephrata their 530th stop | Local News

When you ask Judy McNamara why she and her husband have visited hundreds of Texas Roadhouse locations across the U.S. for the past two decades, she has a simple answer.

“Why not?” she said.

Judy and Mike McNamara, and their puggle Andy, arrived at the Texas Roadhouse in Ephrata Township, their 530th location since 2003, before the doors opened Sunday morning.

The retired couple of Franklin, Virginia, were difficult to miss. They dripped in Texas Roadhouse merchandise, trucker hats and jackets, collected from years of restaurant road tripping. Andy, who has accompanied the McNamaras to restaurants for the past two and a half years, waited patiently in his stroller, a Texas Roadhouse collar around his neck (gifted at the Texas Roadhouse Support Center in Louisville, Kentucky). Mike McNamara, 72, wore a belt buckle bearing the restaurant’s name. The chain’s logo dangled from Judy McNamara’s ears, jewelry crafted by her husband, converted from years-worth of themed pins.

The Ephrata location is one of their last to hit in Pennsylvania, Judy McNamara said.

Last year, they visited 92 different Texas Roadhouses. This year, they plan to finish 2025 with about 55 locations added to their meticulous Excel spreadsheet. (The McNamaras dined at the other Lancaster County Texas Roadhouse in East Lampeter Township on Nov. 13, 2008.)

Mike McNamara averages 25,000 miles a year driving to restaurants around the country. This year, the McNamaras personalized the license plates on their vehicles to match their aesthetic: “LUV TXRH” on their SUV and “TXRH FAN” on their pickup truck.

Matt Raasch, owner of the Ephrata location, met the McNamaras outside before their lunch began. Although this was their first time at this particular restaurant, Raasch has long known about the couple’s commitment to the chain.

The corporation recently flew the McNamaras to Las Vegas for a Texas Roadhouse conference, where restaurant owners around the country clamored to invite them to their franchises. Even though the McNamaras aren’t technically bound by a paid partnership, the couple has received countless gifts from locations across the country. Their meal in Ephrata, Mike McNamara later confirmed, was complimentary.

“It’s part of the lore,” Raasch said.

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‘Why not?’

Judy and Mike McNamara have known each other since third grade, long before the founding of Texas Roadhouse in 1993. They married as teenagers and worked for decades at the same paper mill in Virginia. They traveled together, taking their first cross-country trip in 1985.

In 2003, the couple visited Judy McNamara’s brother in Tennessee. They dined at his local Texas Roadhouse, their first ever. The McNamaras, neither a fan of fancy dishes, enjoyed the homestyle cooking the restaurant had to offer.

“It was really good food,” Judy McNamara said, “and it wasn’t that expensive.”

From then on, they made sure to stop at nearby chain locations as they road-tripped, side quests on their constant travels to national parks, museums and antique malls.

Their Texas Roadhouse mission picked up speed when Judy McNamara retired in 2017.

They dug through credit card statements to track all their previous locations on a spreadsheet. Stops at Texas Roadhouse quickly transitioned from secondary objectives to the main events. They made it a goal to dine at every Texas Roadhouse in the U.S., more than 600 locations.

Local owners began to invite the McNamaras to their restaurants, back into their kitchens, with tours of the meat locker. They have received endless memorabilia and media attention, including a feature last summer in USA Today, which Judy McNamara prefers her husband to handle. Some restaurants have hosted staff orientations to prepare for their arrival. They hit nearly every chain location on the east coast and traveled as far as Alaska just for Texas Roadhouse, where the climate means the restaurants there can’t sell sweet potatoes, to Mike McNamara’s disappointment.

Judy McNamara still likes to cook at home, mostly spaghetti, pork chops and reheatable frozen pizzas. And even though they spend so much time on the road — the McNamaras woke up at 5 a.m. to prepare for their drive from Connecticut to Ephrata Sunday morning — the couple still likes the comfort of home, watching television and mowing the grass.

“We’re glad when the trips are over, when we get back to the house,” Judy McNamara said. “Then, after a couple of weeks, it’s time to hit the road again.”

“Where are we going this time?” Mike McNamara said.

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Dining in Ephrata

Through the double doors, cheers and claps awaited the couple. The staff excitedly greeted Andy. Heliumless balloons wandered. A message written in chalk on the restaurant floor announced their arrival: “Welcoming the McNamaras to Ephrata, PA!”

Once they were seated, staff presented the McNamaras with rolls and honey cinnamon butter, along with a basket filled with Lancaster County merchandise, whoopie pies, jams and a bag of dog treats. Kiara Rojas, their server, greeted them to get their drink orders: two sweet teas.

“I would ask if you’ve been here before,” Rojas said, “but here we are, huh? 530th.”

When the drinks came, Judy McNamara removed her lemon from the rim and plopped it into her husband’s drink (“If I want lemonade, I’ll order one.”) Andy slept soundly in his stroller despite the music and chatter.

The McNamaras don’t need to rifle through the menu to figure out what they want anymore. Mike McNamara almost always gets the same thing, and Judy McNamara won’t order any dishes with dill pickles or mushrooms. They both avoid the appetizers and desserts. Despite how often they visit, the couple hasn’t explored most of the chain’s offerings.

Judy McNamara ordered a single pork-chop (as-is, with no pepper corn sauce or other garnishes), green beans and a side salad with Thousand Island dressing. Her husband requested a 6-ounce sirloin, medium well, with A1 sauce, the same salad, and a baked sweet potato with honey cinnamon butter and brown sugar. He explained to Rojas that he couldn’t get the sweet potato if they were in Alaska.

“Well, we’ll make sure this is the best sweet potato you’ve ever had, okay?” Rojas said. “I got you.”

As the McNamaras have gotten older, Texas Roadhouse has changed, too. One of Judy McNamara’s favorite items, the roasted half chicken, was discontinued years ago. And the chain continues to expand around the globe, with 730 Texas Roadhouse locations in 49 states, Puerto Rico and 10 other countries, as of July. And as long as Mike McNamara keeps driving, the couple said they plan to continue their cross-country adventures, much to the disbelief of those around them.

“I just can’t imagine going to that many different Texas Roadhouses,” Raasch said.

“And we’re still going,” Judy McNamara said.

“And we’re still building,” Raasch said. “We’re expanding your journey even further.”