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Outback Steakhouse

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Outback Steakhouse
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRestaurants
GenreCasual dining
FoundedMarch 15, 1988; 36 years ago (1988-03-15)
Founders
Headquarters
Tampa, Florida
,
United States
Number of locations
1,319 (October 2021)[1]
Area served
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Hong Kong
Japan
Mexico
New Zealand
Philippines
Saudi Arabia
South Korea
Qatar
United Kingdom
United States
ProductsAustralian themed American cuisine
RevenueUS$ 3.888 billion (2017)
ParentBloomin' Brands
Websitewww.outback.com

Outback Steakhouse is an American chain of Australian-themed casual dining restaurants, serving American cuisine, based in Tampa, Florida. The chain has over 1,000 locations in 23 countries throughout North America, South America, Asia, and Australia. It was founded on March 15, 1988, with its first location in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T. Sullivan, Trudy Cooper, and Tim Gannon.[2] It was owned and operated in the United States by OSI Restaurant Partners until it was acquired by Bloomin' Brands, and by other franchise and venture agreements internationally.

History

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The first Outback Steakhouse location was opened on March 15, 1988, in Tampa, Florida.

Canadian Outback Steakhouse restaurants began in 1996. In March 2009, Outback Steakhouse Canada abruptly closed all nine locations in the province of Ontario, citing poor economic conditions, but in June 2009, Outback Steakhouse opened a location in Niagara Falls, Ontario, with a second location later opening in the same city. As of 2024 these are the only Outback Steakhouse locations operating in Canada.

Outback locations in Hawaii began to open in the mid 1990s, as part of a massive expansion across the country. On February 17, 2024, Outback’s parent company, Bloomin’ Brands, announced the permanent closure of all remaining Hawaii locations, as part of financial restructuring, citing a significant decrease in profits. This was part of a larger, mass closure of over 41 locations. All three locations in Hawaii were permanently closed by February 18, 2024.[3]

Outback Steakhouse opened in the UK with locations in Birmingham, Basildon, Enfield, Romford, Stevenage and Staines. By September 2011, only its Basildon and Romford stores remained and they closed down on September 13, ending Outback's foray into the UK market.

In 2006, a new Outback logo was introduced, dropping the old kangaroo logo for a more simplistic and modern Outback mountain range logo. With this new logo, Outback then went on an aggressive remodeling campaign, starting in 2008, renovating most of their locations, along with opening brand new ones, for a fresher, more modern look to their business model. This included the removal of their iconic neon signs for more energy efficient LEDs, and the switch from a dark, rustic feel to a brighter, more vibrant look. Today, few original-style Outback locations remain, with most of them either abandoned for newer locations, or renovated.

On June 14, 2007, OSI Restaurant Partners completed a stock repurchase plan, and the company became privately held. In April 2012, Bloomin' Brands, the current owner of Outback Steakhouse, filed with the SEC to raise up to $300 million in an initial public offering.[4] Bloomin' Brands, Inc. became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "BLMN."[5]

Most Outback locations are corporately owned by Bloomin Brands, however locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico are separately owned by a corporate franchisee, Out West Restaurant Group.[6]

Outback Steakhouse currently operates over 1,000 locations worldwide, with 694 in the United States.

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Outback's Bloomin' Onion
Prime Rib from Outback Steakhouse
Examples of Outback menu items: Aussie Cheese Fries, House Salad, and Chicken Tortilla Soup from top to bottom

Bloomin' Onion

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Main article: Blooming onion

The Bloomin' Onion is a signature Outback item, though it is not an Australian item and is not typically sold in Australia apart from this chain.[7] It is a 1 pound (500 g) onion cut to 'bloom' open, breaded, deep-fried and served with mayonnaise-horseradish sauce. Other restaurants offer items similar to the Bloomin' Onion, as in Chili's Awesome Blossom (discontinued), Texas Roadhouse's Cactus Blossom, and Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon's Texas Rose. Many of the Bloomin' Onions have come under fire for high-calorie counts, sometimes going over 1,500 calories.[8]

Involvements

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Community

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Outback Steakhouse has a program to support the communities in which its restaurants are located.[9] They have also joined GroupRaise, a platform where non-profits can book restaurant fundraisers in their locations.[10] On a national level, Outback partners with Heineken USA and their Heineken with a Heart program to raise funds for various organizations in these communities.

Political

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The company and its founders are major contributors, via the Outback Steakhouse PAC, to the Republican Party, contributing $303,015 and $334,197 for the 2000 and 2004 election cycles, respectively.[11][12] The Outback Steakhouse PAC itself is one of the largest donors in the food and beverage sector, second only to the National Restaurant Association, which itself represents 300,000 restaurants.[13]

Advertising

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  • The company owns two blimps: the Bloomin' Onions I and II, both named after their appetizer.[14]
  • For several years, the company ran a media campaign with an Australian-themed variation of the Of Montreal composition "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games)."
  • General (Ret) Tommy Franks sits on the Board Of Directors for OSI Restaurant Partners, INC., which owns Outback Steakhouse.[15]

Sports

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Outback Steakhouse was the title sponsor of the Outback Champions Series tennis events and NCAA football's Outback Bowl. The sponsorship lasted through 2020.[16]

Outback is also a partner of the Tampa Bay Lightning and has a concession stand in Amalie Arena.

Motorsports

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In 2012, Outback Steakhouse became a sponsor of Ryan Newman and the No. 39 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In their first race as sponsor, Newman won the 2012 Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.[17] One of the promotions the company had with Newman is a free Bloomin' Onion on the Monday after a race in which Newman would finish in the Top 10.[18] Kevin Harvick took over Outback's sponsorship and promotion in 2014 for two races in their No. 4, after Newman left the team to drive Richard Childress Racing's No. 31 car.[19] The company was on Harvick’s car from 2014 until 2018, including his championship in 2014, and in 2019 and until the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, the steakhouse was a personal sponsor which kept the Blooming Monday promotion around still. It ended after 2020. The company also sponsored retired Sprint Cup Series driver and current Fox NASCAR announcer Jeff Gordon's No. 67 for the AC-Delco 200 in the Busch Series during the 1990 season.[20][21]

In September 2023, Outback Steakhouse sponsored Stephen Mallozzi, who had previously worked as a server at the restaurant, for a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.[22]

Gallery

References

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  1. ^ "Bloomin' Brands, Inc. 2015 Annual Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Outback founders celebrate the first location in South Tampa". 13 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Outback Steakhouse shutters 3 locations, pulls out of Hawaii". Star Advertiser. 20 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Outback Steakhouse owner Bloomin' Brands files for $300 million US IPO". Renaissance Capital. 9 April 2012.
  5. ^ "About the company" (PDF). 14 December 2015.
  6. ^ "Out West Restaurant Group, Inc". H.I.G. Capital. 15 October 2018.
  7. ^ "We Need To Talk About Bloomin' Onions, The Made-Up Aussie Delicacy That Americans Think We Eat". pedestrian. Zac Crellin. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Nutritional Information". Outback Steakhouse, INC!. Archived from the original on 13 July 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  9. ^ "Outback Gives Back - Outback Steakhouse". Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  10. ^ "Outback Steakhouse Fundraiser | Find Fundraising Restaurants Near You".
  11. ^ "Soft Money Donations: Outback Steakhouse (2000)". OpenSecrets. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2006.
  12. ^ "Soft Money Donations: Outback Steakhouse (2004)". OpenSecrets. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2006.
  13. ^ "Food & Beverage PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates, 2003-2004". OpenSecrets. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  14. ^ "Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion I Airship". Outback Steakhouse, INC. Archived from the original on 3 May 2006. Retrieved 26 August 2006.
  15. ^ "Inside The Company". OSI Restaurant Partners, INC. Retrieved 30 August 2006.
  16. ^ "Outback Steakhouse renews title sponsorship of Outback Bowl through 2020". WTSP. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  17. ^ Kurz, Jr., Hank (1 April 2012). "Newman wins wild finish at Martinsville Speedway". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  18. ^ "OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE OFFERS FANS TASTY REASON TO CHEER FOR NEWMAN". Ryan Newman. 24 December 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  19. ^ "2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Paint Schemes - Team #4". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  20. ^ "1990 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  21. ^ "Hallways To The Past". Gordon Online. 20 October 2011.
  22. ^ Christie, Toby (5 September 2023). "Outback Steakhouse Returns to NASCAR With Stephen Mallozzi at Bristol". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
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