Texas Roadhouse Leverages Ultimate Software’s Cloud-Based UltiPro for Business Gains, Wins APA’s Prestigious Prism Award

Ultimate Software (Nasdaq: ULTI), a leading cloud provider of people management solutions, announced today that its customer Texas Roadhouse, a full-service restaurant chain with hundreds of locations around the world, has been awarded the American Payroll Association (APA) Prism Award for Overall Best Practices.

The 45,700-employee company, frequently honored for its corporate culture, was recognized for its innovative use of technology, including Ultimate’s cloud-based UltiPro, to improve business practices, shared services, and overall processes for supporting its diverse, dedicated, and expanding workforce. The annual Prism Awards were presented earlier this week at an event at the M Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas in conjunction with the 2014 APA Leadership Forum.

The APA’s Strategic Payroll Leadership Task Force presents Prism Awards to payroll teams of organizations of any size from across the U.S. that have demonstrated leadership in the following categories: Technology, Management, Processes, and Overall Best Practices. Past recipients of Prism Awards include Starbucks Coffee Company, Lowe’s, Cisco Systems, and Delta Airlines.

Texas Roadhouse won this year’s category of Overall Best Practices, and its recognition was based on the restructuring of its payroll process for employees in hundreds of locations, enhancing current employee services, adding new levels of support for its dispersed workforce, and developing companywide initiatives that support recognition, fun, camaraderie, and engagement.

The company regards its use of UltiPro as an instrumental factor in its success, and as a result of the improved technology and business processes, Texas Roadhouse has achieved a range of measurable benefits, including a cost savings of approximately $1.7 million per year.

“Like Ultimate Software, we are a people-centric company, and on behalf of Vickie Elder, our director of payroll and the entire payroll team, we are very proud to receive this award because we are both supporting our employees and impacting our business in very positive ways. Ultimate’s HCM technology as well as it support teams have been invaluable in the growth and development of our resources so that our employees can be successful, sustaining our one-of-a-kind culture, and building a long-term vision for success,” said Mark Simpson, Vice President of Legendary People at Texas Roadhouse.

Highlights of Texas Roadhouse’s use of Ultimate’s HCM solution include:

• Automating job changes, terminations, pay rate changes, new hire information, and seamless transmission of information to third-party vendors
• Reducing administration, resulting in both significant cost and time savings
• Taking advantage of UltiPro’s easy-to-manage configurability — eliminating expenses related to relying on outside consultants and developers for customization
• Using standard imports embedded in UltiPro for immediate, secure disbursal of reimbursements to managers and employees in hundreds of locations
• Relying on a collaborative partnership with Ultimate to develop the company’s unique ‘Roadie Support’ team — a shared service center devoted entirely to employee-related matters
• Sharing best practices with additional customers through Ultimate’s communities, as well as APA groups and other organizations, for similar business results that can be achieved with optimal payroll processing

“Our CEO and founder is a firm believer that if your employees are happy, they will take care of your guests/customers. Technology is changing every day and requires constant re-evaluation, and we want to make sure we are using our systems to their fullest potential and taking excellent care of our number one asset: our people,” said Simpson. “Our company is always ready to embrace new technology and improved processes, and having Ultimate as a rock-solid business partner is one reason why we have been able to achieve measureable business improvements.”

“Texas Roadhouse is an outstanding example of the business benefits that can be experienced by taking full advantage of Ultimate’s innovative technology and its dedicated support services,” said Greg Swick, chief sales officer at Ultimate Software. “Immense congratulations go to the payroll teams at Texas Roadhouse for winning the prestigious Prism Award, and we commend the company for its deep commitment to making an already legendary company even better.”

About Texas Roadhouse

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, with more than 430 locations across the U.S. and in international locations, Texas Roadhouse opened its doors in 1993. The company is famous for hand-cut steaks, made-from-scratch sides, fresh-baked bread, and its lively atmosphere. In 2014 Texas Roadhouse was named one of Employee’s Choice Best Places to work by Glassdoor, in 2012 Texas Roadhouse was named Top Steakhouse in the Nation’s Restaurant News’ Consumer Picks survey, in 2007 and 2008 Forbes ranked the company as one of the 200 Best Small Companies, and in 2009 the company was ranked Best Value by readers of Consumer Reports magazine. For more information, visit www.texasroadhouse.com.

About Ultimate Software

Ultimate Software is a leading cloud provider of people management solutions, with more than 17 million people records in the cloud. Built on the belief that people are the most important ingredient of any business, Ultimate’s award-winning UltiPro delivers HR, payroll, talent, compensation, and time and labor management solutions that seamlessly connect people with the information and resources they need to work more effectively. Founded in 1990, the company is headquartered in Weston, Florida, and has more than 2,000 professionals focused on developing the highest quality solutions and services. In 2014, Ultimate was ranked #20 on FORTUNE’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For; ranked #8 on Forbes magazine’s list of the 100 Most Innovative Growth Companies; and recognized as a ‘Leader’ in Nucleus Research’s HCM Technology Value Matrix. Ultimate has 2,700 customers with employees in 150 countries, including Adobe Systems Incorporated, Bloomin’ Brands, Culligan International, Major League Baseball, Pep Boys, Texas Rangers Baseball, and Texas Roadhouse. More information on Ultimate’s products and services for people management can be found at www.ultimatesoftware.com.

UltiPro is a registered trademark of The Ultimate Software Group, Inc. All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Ultimate Software on Twitter: www.twitter.com/UltimateHCM and on LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/UltimateHCM