P. Terry's
An Austin-based Texas hamburger chain known for retro drive-in design, fresh ingredients, accessible pricing, and community giving.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
P. Terry's Burger Stand is a privately held regional fast-food restaurant chain headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded by Patrick Terry and Kathy Terry, the company opened its first restaurant on July 5, 2005, at the intersection of South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road in Austin's Zilker neighborhood. The location had previously housed a Short Stop Burgers and stood near a McDonald's, giving the new chain an immediate competitive setting in which to establish a distinct identity. The brand specializes in hamburgers, french fries, milkshakes, and related quick-service items. Its proposition combines relatively simple food with an emphasis on ingredient quality, operational consistency, moderate pricing, and a recognizable visual identity. P. Terry's uses never-frozen hormone- and antibiotic-free Black Angus beef, Idaho Burbank potatoes for its fries, canola oil rather than peanut oil for frying, and ketchup without corn syrup. Food is prepared through local commissary kitchens and distributed to restaurants by refrigerated trucks. These choices contribute to food costs that are higher than those of many conventional fast-food competitors, but support the chain's quality-oriented positioning. The restaurants use a deliberately nostalgic visual language based on 1950s Googie and drive-in architecture. Architect Michael Hsu helped translate the concept into the chain's built environment, while the defunct Abilene restaurant Mack Eplen's Drivateria served as an important inspiration for the buildings, interiors, menu signs, drive-through arrangement, commissary model, and aspects of the logo typography. This retro design, together with a limited menu and highly visible roadside presence, helps distinguish P. Terry's from larger national burger chains. P. Terry's initially concentrated on Central Texas. It opened its second and third Austin-area restaurants in 2009 and later expanded beyond the Austin market, including its first Houston restaurant in 2024. Reference material states that the chain had 36 locations in 2025 and 38 Texas locations as of May 2026; it has not established a presence outside Texas and has stated that it does not plan to expand beyond the state. Because the company is private, detailed financial information and ownership disclosures are limited. Community participation is a recurring part of the brand. Beginning in 2006, P. Terry's introduced Giving Back Days, held one Saturday each quarter, during which restaurant profits are donated to local charitable causes. By November 2025, the program was reported to have donated approximately $2.4 million to underserved communities in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. In July 2025, the company separately directed all profits from a fundraiser for victims of the Central Texas floods to the Austin Disaster Relief Network, ultimately raising $150,000 despite severe demand-related service delays. The Terrys have also emphasized employee treatment. In February 2021, P. Terry's raised its minimum wage to $15 per hour. The company has provided interest-free employee loans and maintained a birthday-cake program for staff. In June 2026, it announced an Employee Ownership Trust under which employees with at least two years of service would receive profit sharing initially targeted at 5%, with an intention to increase the share at a later stage. The announcement represented a further effort to connect employee retention and participation with the company's long-term ownership structure.
History
Patrick Terry grew up in Abilene, Texas, and later studied advertising at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1980. Kathy Terry transferred to the same university from Angelo State University and graduated with a business degree in 1982. The pair met in 1999 and married in 2004. The brand name originated at a social gathering where another guest named Patrick was present; the phrase “P. Terry” was used to distinguish Patrick Terry from the host. The first P. Terry's restaurant opened on July 5, 2005, at 404 South Lamar Boulevard in Austin. The site, near Barton Springs Road, had previously been occupied by Short Stop Burgers and was positioned opposite a McDonald's. That competitive environment encouraged the Terrys to develop a strong visual and operating identity rather than imitate a generic fast-food format. The resulting restaurants drew on the memory of Mack Eplen's Drivateria, a once-prominent Abilene drive-in chain. Architect Michael Hsu helped create the brand's 1950s-inspired Googie structures and associated roadside presentation. The chain expanded cautiously. Its second and third Austin-area locations opened in 2009, after which the company continued building a Central Texas network. Kathy Terry's reading of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation influenced the company's approach to ingredients and labor. P. Terry's adopted a supply model using local commissary kitchens and refrigerated distribution, and it selected ingredients intended to exceed common fast-food standards. Its fries use Idaho Burbank potatoes and canola oil; its beef is never frozen and is described as hormone- and antibiotic-free Black Angus beef. The company also sought to differentiate its employment practices through comparatively higher wages, employee loans without interest, and personal recognition programs such as birthday cakes. In 2006, the company began Giving Back Days. On one Saturday each quarter, participating restaurants donate their profits to local charitable organizations. The program became a central expression of P. Terry's local rather than purely transactional identity. By late 2025, reported cumulative donations through the program had reached approximately $2.4 million for underserved communities in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. A proposed acquisition in 2016 was rejected by the Terrys. Patrick Terry later connected the decision to a message from the film The Intern about the difficulty of finding a buyer who would care about a company as deeply as its founders. The decision preserved the founders' control and reinforced the chain's independent positioning. Todd Coerver became chief executive officer on March 1, 2019, succeeding Patrick Terry in the role. Coerver had previously led Larkburger and served as chief operating officer of Taco Cabana. His appointment brought experience in expanding restaurant concepts into additional markets. During his tenure, P. Terry's continued beyond its original Central Texas base and opened its first Houston location in 2024. Coerver's tenure ended on December 12, 2023, according to the reference material. In February 2021, P. Terry's raised its minimum wage to $15 per hour. The chain remained private and Texas-focused while extending its charitable activity. In July 2025, following severe Central Texas flooding, it held a special fundraiser for the Austin Disaster Relief Network. All profits were donated, and the effort raised $150,000. Demand was unusually high: lines reportedly reached roughly two miles at times, wait times lengthened substantially, online and third-party orders were suspended, and several restaurants ran out of food and closed early. The company subsequently announced an Employee Ownership Trust on June 9, 2026. Under the announced plan, employees with at least two years of service would receive profit sharing initially set at 5%, with a stated intention to raise the share to 20% at a later point. Reference material describes the chain as having 38 Texas locations by May 2026 and no plan to expand outside the state.
- 2026
Employee Ownership Trust announced
[1]The company announced a profit-sharing trust for qualifying employees.
- 2025
Central Texas flood fundraiser
[1]A special fundraiser generated $150,000 for the Austin Disaster Relief Network.
- 2024
First Houston location opens
[1]The chain entered the Houston market with its first location there.
- 2021
Minimum wage rises to $15
[1]P. Terry's increased its minimum hourly wage to $15.
- 2019
Todd Coerver becomes chief executive
[1]Todd Coerver replaced Patrick Terry as chief executive officer on March 1.
- 2009
Second and third locations open
[1]P. Terry's expanded its Austin-area presence with two additional restaurants.
- 2006
Giving Back Days begins
[1]The company introduced a quarterly program donating participating restaurants' profits to local charities.
- 2005
First restaurant opens in Austin
[1]P. Terry's opened its first restaurant on July 5 at South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road in Austin.
Products and positioning
Affordable, quality-focused Texas fast food with a limited burger menu, retro drive-in styling, fresh ingredients, and locally oriented community and employee programs.
Hamburger · 2005
P. Terry's Burger
The core hamburger offering of the chain. It represents P. Terry's central product proposition: a straightforward burger made with never-frozen Black Angus beef described as hormone- and antibiotic-free, served in a compact quick-service format at an accessible price.
Hamburger · 2005
Cheeseburger
A cheese-topped variation of the chain's principal hamburger. Along with the standard burger, it anchors the deliberately limited menu and supports fast preparation, consistency across locations, and a clear alternative to the broader menus of national competitors.
Side dish · 2005
French fries
P. Terry's fries are made with Idaho Burbank potatoes and fried in canola oil. The use of a specified potato variety and non-peanut frying oil forms part of the chain's ingredient-quality differentiation and its effort to present a familiar fast-food side in a less standardized way.
Beverage · 2005
Milkshakes
Milkshakes are one of the brand's signature beverage and dessert offerings, accompanying the burger-and-fries menu and reinforcing its classic American drive-in identity.
Marketing campaigns
- 2025Central Texas Flood Relief Fundraiser
Central Texas
On July 10, P. Terry's donated all profits from a special operating day to the Austin Disaster Relief Network for victims of the July 2025 floods.
Outcome. The fundraiser raised $150,000. Exceptional demand caused long queues, suspended digital orders, food shortages, and early closures at some restaurants.
- 2006Giving Back Days
Austin · Houston · San Antonio
On one Saturday each quarter, P. Terry's donates restaurant profits to local charitable organizations and underserved communities.
Outcome. Reported cumulative donations reached approximately $2.4 million by November 2025.
Brand decisions
2026
Creating an Employee Ownership TrustStrategyBackground
P. Terry's sought to link employee tenure and participation with the company's long-term ownership structure.
Action taken
The company announced profit sharing of 5% for employees with at least two years of service, with an intention to increase the share to 20% later.
Aftermath
The announced structure could deepen employee participation, but later implementation results are not established in the available material.
2021
Raising the minimum wageStrategyBackground
P. Terry's positioned employee treatment as part of its differentiation from conventional fast-food employers.
Action taken
The company increased its minimum wage from $12 to $15 per hour.
Aftermath
The wage policy reinforced the brand's employee-focused positioning, although its effect on profitability is not reported here.
2019
Appointing an expansion-oriented chief executiveStrategyBackground
The company had previously been concentrated in Central Texas and sought experience in extending restaurant concepts into additional markets.
Action taken
Todd Coerver became chief executive officer on March 1, succeeding Patrick Terry.
Aftermath
P. Terry's later expanded outside its original Austin-area base and entered Houston in 2024.
2016
Declining a proposed acquisitionM&ABackground
P. Terry's received what was described as a major offer to purchase the company.
Action taken
Patrick and Kathy Terry declined the offer, choosing to retain independence and founder control.
Aftermath
The chain continued operating as a privately held, Texas-focused business.
Recent events
- 2026
P. Terry's announces an Employee Ownership Trust[1]
Leadership change
The company announced a trust intended to provide profit sharing to employees with at least two years of service, initially targeting 5% and potentially increasing that share later.
- 2025
Flood-relief fundraiser raises $150,000[1]
Campaign · Other
P. Terry's donated the proceeds from a July fundraiser to the Austin Disaster Relief Network after Central Texas floods. Extraordinary customer demand produced long lines, food shortages, and early closures at some restaurants.
- 2024
P. Terry's launches a Houston expansion[1]
Other
The chain opened its first Houston-area location, extending its operating footprint beyond Central Texas.
- 2021
P. Terry's raises minimum wage to $15 per hour[1]
Other
The company increased its minimum hourly wage from $12 to $15, presenting the move as part of its employee-treatment policies.
- 2018
Southern Living names P. Terry's America's Best Burger Chain[1]
Other
Southern Living recognized P. Terry's as America's Best Burger Chain.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/p-terrys · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled