The Willie Nelson Connection Behind Texas Roadhouse's Armadillo Mascot

Wander into any Texas Roadhouse, and you'll be bombarded with over-the-top, Texas-themed decor, line-dancing waitstaff, and a birthday tradition that earns you a spot on a saddle. If you wander further, you might spot a little area named Willie's Corner, which isn't an homage to a staff member, but to Texas country singer, Willie Nelson. While we all know Texas Roadhouse for its honey cinnamon butter rolls and juicy steaks, and we all know Willie Nelson for his iconic long braids and his mean ear for Southern twang, but the connection between these two seemingly unrelated things is all thanks to a love of little, furry mammals.

As it turns out, Nelson not only really loves Texas Roadhouse, but he really loves armadillos, too. Nelson met Texas Roadhouse's founder, Kent Taylor, at one of Nelson's Farm Aid benefit concerts back in the day, where the two bonded over their love of card games and — you guessed it — armadillos. Texas Roadhouse's entire brand is meant to celebrate and acknowledge the great state of Texas in a family-friendly way, and Nelson appreciated the business model so much that he stayed close friends with Taylor. In fact, he went on to star in commercials for the restaurant, become an official partner, own a Texas Roadhouse location, and receive his very own corner in every single restaurant. Ultimately, the sweet origin of Texas Roadhouse's shrines to Willie Nelson is all because of this shared interest in the official state mammal of Texas.

Texas Roadhouse's official mascot is Andy Armadillo, who's been a part of the restaurant since it opened in 1993 (here's what it was like to eat at that first Texas Roadhouse, by the way). You can spot Andy on Texas Roadhouse menus and on the murals at several locations. Andy also likes to get out into the community, showing up at baseball games and events for children. The life-size armadillo is meant to not only represent the Lone Star State itself, but bring a little bit of laughter and fun everywhere he goes.

While Nelson hasn't confirmed how his love of armadillos transpired, many people believe it's a callback to the Armadillo World Headquarters, a venue located in Austin, Texas, where Nelson played quite regularly. The image just stuck, and Nelson embraced armadillos by turning them into a permanent part of his stage set, thanks to a mounted mammal, affectionately dubbed Ol' Dillo. Ol' Dillo was stolen from Nelson's set in September 2013, which caused an uproar and prompted Nelson to look into filing a criminal complaint for its return. The armadillo hunt even inspired Texas Roadhouse to offer a $1,000 gift card for his return, calling on that longtime partnership (among the 14 other things you should know about Texas Roadhouse). By April of 2014, Ol' Dillo made his way back to Nelson's stage, and now the whole saga is just an added layer to the Willie Nelson/Texas Roadhouse armadillo story.