The crew of the Texas Roadhouse location in Marquette celebrates the opening of the restaurant Monday with Marquette Township board members and representatives from the Lake Superior Community Partnership. (Journal photo by Alexandria Bournonville)

MARQUETTE — Texas Roadhouse has opened up a location in Marquette with free meals, fundraisers and festivities.

At a Monday ribbon-cutting ceremony — just three hours before the restaurant officially opened to the public — managing partner Jacob Fritz and his employees showcased the restaurant to representatives from the Lake Superior Community Partnership and the Marquette Township board.

Over the weekend, Fritz said the restaurant hosted and provided free meals to local firefighters, police, health care workers, Marquette Regional History Center employees as well as guests at the Janzen House and the Warming Center.

“We were selling alcohol and all the profits we made off alcohol were going to the (Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Society) on Saturday and U.P. Whitetails Association of Marquette County on Sunday,” Fritz said.

In total, just over $10,000 was raised for U.P. Whitetails and UPAWS; approximately $5,200 went to UPAWS and $4,800 to U.P. Whitetails.

Custom-made art pieces by artist David Carter, who regularly paints murals for Texas Roadhouse locations, adorned the walls. Each mural depicted a unique part of Marquette, such as the ore dock.

“We brought 220 jobs to the area, which we’re very proud of,” said Fritz. “We are a competitive-pay company, we want to pay people what they’re worth always. Further than that, we try to do partnerships with local businesses, Boy Scout troops, Girl Scouts, churches, schools, all of that…. (We) just try to be a positive voice in the community.”

For example, students and faculty, with their school ID will get a free soft drink and the Early Dine price which is a select group of entrees that are $12.99.

Fritz said the Marquette location of Texas Roadhouse will continue to partner with other organizations for fundraisers in order to give back to the community. One such fundraiser includes a designated night where 10% of every order will go back to a partnered organization.

To further make the location unique to Marquette, local store marketer Mandy Anglen is working with Fritz to feature notable features of the community in their waiting area called “the corral.” One wall is dedicated to local schools and is decorated with Marquette, Ishpeming and Negaunee high schools jerseys — as well as a merchandise from Northern Michigan University.

Another wall of the corral will be dedicated to hometown heroes. Influential community members of Marquette’s present and past — firefighters, police officers, organization leaders — are all up for grabs to be honored on the wall.

Anglen said the displays will be interchangeable and pictures, jerseys or memorabilia will cycle in and out.

“The other wall … will be the programs I’m doing. Maybe I’m doing first-time guest enter-to-wins or maybe we’re doing something for St. Patrick’s Day,” said Anglen. “Veterans Day is a huge thing for Texas Roadhouse. We feed all veterans free of charge. If they can’t come in on Veterans Day, they get a coupon that is good for six months for them to come in any time to eat. We might feature something like that.”

There is one special corner in the restaurant dedicated to its late founder: Kent Taylor. Along with pictures and tributes to Taylor himself is a plaque with the founder’s iconic quote: “We are a people-first company that just happens to serve steaks.”

Texas Roadhouse’s Marquette location is at 3440 on Highway US41.