The Untold Truth Of Outback Steakhouse

The Untold Truth Of Outback Steakhouse

Anyone Looking for a Memorable night out used To Go to a Restaurant like Outback Steakhouse. No Matter if they preferred chicken, a burger, or of course steak, every member of the family could find something on the menu they enjoyed.

Unfortunately for Outback, The rise of fast-casual dining and other new trends seems to be sending more and more customers elsewhere.

However, If You’re Looking for a spot where you know what To anticipate, Where friends and coworkers may gather for a few drinks and small bites after work, Outback might be the place for you.

Without a doubt, This is largely attributable to the Bloomin‘ Onion, The restaurant’s signature dish that, while being named after the brand, is more well-known than steak has ever been.

It’s just the proper amount of crispy and should definitely be shared because it’s so unhealthy. Let’s discuss some obscure facts regarding the chain Bloomin’ Onion as well as some other topics.

It was a Struggle To Open Outback Steakhouse, But Success Came Fast

Around 900 restaurants were present when Outback Steakhouse celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2013. However, the original meeting place was in South Tampa at 3404 Henderson Boulevard, where the four founders decided to convene.

They Claimed To the Tampa Bay Times that it was the first of its kind in the area when they first opened. You had To travel to the opposite side of the city to find a Chili’s Or other such restaurant because casual eating was not as popular as it would later become.

There Was a brief period when they weren’t sure it would succeed before they opened. Because Business was so slow at night, the restaurant’s owners had to have staff members park in front of it to give the impression that customers were present.

Founder Trudy Cooper recalled that the first location was in an old pub that was “…in very bad shape, and it smelled like alcohol.” Yuck. But as Soon as word got out, Other steakhouses began calling To complain that they were losing customers.

Outback has Nearly 1,000 Locations Worldwide

According to Statista, dozens of Outback restaurants have shuttered in recent years. The restaurant chain still has a sizable footprint, though. There are just about 700 locations in total all over the country.

This Covers eateries located in 46 distinct states. Only Maine, North Dakota, Rhode Island, And Vermont do not currently have an Outback Steakhouse.

Even Though it is impressive, Outback hasn’t restricted its expansion to the borders of the United States. It Has been a global chain for more than 20 years. 1996 saw the debut of Outback’s first international location in Canada (source: Funding Universe).

Over the Ensuing years, The business opened restaurants in Aruba, Brazil, China, Guam, Mexico, The Philippines, and South Korea. Before the end of the 1990s, Outback had about 40 foreign eateries.

Currently, there are more than 250 Outback Steakhouse outlets in 19 different countries. These Include Countries in South Asia, the Middle East, Central and South American America. Even in Australia, the “home” country of Outback, there are eight eateries.

The Outback Steakhouse founders had Never Been To Australia

Australian-born Besha Rodell, who reviewed Outback Steakhouse, affirmed that it is almost nothing like what one may anticipate from Australia.

There is a Valid explanation for that. The Outback Steakhouse Was established in 1988 by four Americans, none of whom had ever visited Australia.

In Light of that, Let’s consider how “Crocodile Dundee” influenced them. Anyone Who has seen “American Pie” knows what that would be like: a Gang of Australians opening a “authentic” American diner. Nobody wants that to ever happen.

Because they wanted To Capitalize on the corny perceptions that Americans had about Australia, those founders intentionally decided against traveling to the Land Down Under when they were formulating the idea.

Instead, They created their first restaurant in a South Tampa strip mall using scavenged items from antique and junk shops that they believed had an Australian-like sound, such as sheep shears and bullhorns.

The Tampa Bay Times claims that the founders were more familiar with the business strategies of eateries like Bennigan’s And Chili’s, which helps to explain a lot.

Outback Steakhouse is Not authentic Australian Cuisine

It’s not unexpected that there is nothing authentic about the food at Outback Steakhouse because the restaurant’s creators chose to create a sort of cliché of Australia rather than actually letting the real Australia affect them.

onion burgers not from Australia. Joe Truskot, a Californian, went to Outback with an Australian companion who ordered the Mixed Grill.

What she received instead of what she had anticipated was a piece of chicken, some baby back ribs, and some coconut shrimp. In Australia, when you order a mixed grill, you actually get sausage, liver, and bacon.

One Australian native responded to a Quora question asking for comments on Outback by saying, “Pizza Hut is more authentically Italian than Outback is Australian.” That gives everything context.

What kind of things are on Outback Steakhouse’s Menu in Australia?

Let’s Imagine you’re traveling in Australia and you develop a craving for steak. There is undoubtedly an Outback Steakhouse there. But What can you order at this restaurant with an Australian theme when you’re in Australia?

Even if the Menu does not make any claims to be truly Australian, a simple glance at the website reveals that there are none. There is a ton of seafood, including fried calamari and popcorn prawns, and you will undoubtedly be able to get your steak.

Don’t like seafood? There are also a few burger and pasta alternatives, as well as some very American selections like Cobb salad or Razorback ribs.

You’ll Feel as though you just had a very American lunch when you finish it off with a dessert like the Chocolate Thunder or the New York-style cheesecake.

Outback Steakhouse Seasons Steaks with a Shocking 17 Spices

How are steaks seasoned? Since the meat’s flavor should be the major attraction, chances are strong that it’s modest. After all, spices, rubs, and seasonings ought to play supporting roles.

Jamie Oliver concurs that salt, pepper, a touch of garlic, and rosemary should be all you need to season a steak, but Outback Steakhouses utilizes a proprietary blend of 17 herbs and spices.

Seriously, when was the last time you made something that needed 17 ingredients? That’s an Absurdly high number. Naturally, Online chefs have attempted to break down the seasoning formula, and the majority have succeeded in creating copycat dishes using a small portion of the original ingredients.

A Reddit User Speculated that it Had a Mixture of salt, paprika, black pepper, turmeric, cayenne pepper, onion powder, Garlic powder, And Ground coriander.

Outback claims that its rub is fairly amazing stuff in its advertisements, but what exactly is in it? Furthermore, is everything really necessary? You want to taste the meat when you order a steak, too.

The Bloomin’ Onion Gadgets used at Outback Steakhouse was Once Top Secret

if You still frequent Outback Steakhouse, you almost certainly order the Bloomin’ Onion. It used to be a big secret how it was created, and it’s just the proper amount of salty and crunchy.

The Secret to an even fry is to get each of the 24 “petals” of the onion just right. You could feel discouraged by that and decide not to attempt to make one at home, but you can do it.

Outback Steakhouse Seems To Lean to the Republican Side

Despite its financial difficulties, Outback Steakhouse has still donated an almost startling amount of money to political campaigns, including a great deal more to one party in particular.

Companies Can send money to company-sponsored political action committees, Or PACs, even if they aren’t allowed to directly support political parties themselves, according To Eater.

These groups let investors and businesses to collect funds and donate them to political issues; in the case of Outback, this is primarily done for Republicans.

Bloomin’ Brands, The Parent business of Outback, donated $1,091,030 To Political causes between 2011 and 2014, with 93% of that money going To the Republican party.

According to Eater, Outback donated about $350,200 in 2016; 88% of that amount went to the Republican Party through the company’s PAC.

Strangely, Elizabeth Smith, the CEO of Bloomin’ Brands, Was the first business leader To contribute directly To a presidential campaign. She contributed Hillary Clinton $5,400.

Outback Steakhouse has had Some issues with its Alcohol Service

A Lovely, icy cocktail to pair with your steak at Outback Steakhouse might be one of its best features; You know, The kind that takes too much effort to make at home.

However, Outback has Experienced its share of Problems with its alcohol delivery, Including one in 2011 that would make any parent’s worst fear come true.

A 4-year-old girl reportedly received a sample of a vodka and peach schnapps-based smoothie. Although the company’s official statement claimed that only the adults in the group received the samples, in reality, the adults distributed the samples to the children because the workers had failed to specify their intoxication.

Whatever the reality, the incident resulted in a change in policy, which is why you no longer receive free alcohol samples.

Then there came the tragedy that Outback got caught up in in 2003. At that time, Callie Long struck Brett Walrath as he was out riding his bicycle.

The Outback Steakhouse, which had provided Long with alcohol, was mentioned in the complaint, according to KCBD News. Long was discovered to have a blood alcohol level of.13%.

There is no joyful conclusion to the narrative. Walrath’s wife and kid lost him in 2004 due to complications from his wounds. They were said to have negotiated a private deal with Outback Steakhouse in 2005.

Outback Steakhouse Made Some Epic Considerations for Employees

One of the Original Founders of Outback Steakhouse, Chris Sullivan, Published a paper in the Harvard Business Review in 2005.

He Claimed that Because They had all worked their way up through the ranks of the Restaurant industry, they were aware of what it was like to work in each position and wanted to set their establishment apart from the competition. It Was one of their guiding principles to be “tough on results but kind with people.”

They conducted numerous research at their own restaurants and discovered that the more contented the staff members were, the more profitable the establishment was. Customers preferred sticking with the same staff, so businesses created spaces that were cozy for them.

Each Outback’s kitchen takes over half of its footprint, an almost unheard-of proportion. Outback servers are only allowed to work three tables at once, as opposed to most restaurants, where the standard is five or six tables, and the corporation spent extra money on additional ventilation for all that space.

Additionally, there aren’t the numerous levels of lower, medium, and senior management that most chains have. Six operations executives worked for Outback’s corporate office at the time, along with store employees and 60 Joint Venture Partners who served as regional managers.

Why Outback Steakhouse Hesitated at Serving Lunch

It wasn’t until 2015 that Outback began offering lunch, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. Although it might seem obvious, Chris Sullivan told the Harvard Business Review that lunch was never originally planned.

He said that all of it was due to the workers. It’s Common for restaurant managers To be driven into 80-hour work weeks, And when you’re working that much, it’s difficult to have any other kind of life.

Both of those things were undesirable to the corporation, as were employees who worked two split shifts. Outback’s decision to serve supper only was made in an effort to keep staff members happy since by the time they completed a second meal shift in a single day, they would be exhausted and more than ready to go home. This would keep customers pleased because of the improved service the restaurant could offer.

It had an Effect On the kitchen as well because prep cooks Who Needed to prepare for a Lunch would frequently prepare for supper at the same time, resulting in less-than-fresh food by the time dinner was served.

Dinner was to be the only meal. But after a year of testing, Outback Came to the conclusion that the sales were worthwhile.

Outback Steakhouse’s Bloomin’ Onion is worse for You than you Think

Even if you split a Bloomin’ Onion with two people, it’s undeniably so amazing that before you know it, it’s gone. Sure, most of us order them for the entire table when we do so, but there’s no doubting that even when we do.

Fans of Bloomin’ Onion, Bad News You’re in a lot more trouble than you realize.

A typical Bloomin’ Onion has 155 grams of fat and 1950 calories, Which is more than twice the daily recommended maximum, according to Calorie King.

What about sodium, then? That is 3840 mg, which is also far more than you ought to consume each day. A little perspective would be nice. You Would need to swim for 163 minutes or walk for just over nine hours to burn off all of that.

That’s Awful, But the Loaded Bloomin’ Onion is much worse. According to The Huffington Post, that has 2,360 calories, which is even higher than several dishes from The Cheesecake Factory.

Additionally, There are dishes like the 3-point Bloomin’ Onion, which MassLive referred to as “weaponized fryer oil.”

That it contains 3,080 calories is fairly correct. Does this meet our needs? Nah. Do we want it, then? Yes, And We won’t be Embarrassed to say it.

Here’s Why Outback Steakhouse is Disappearing

Let’s focus on 2017, when the parent company of Outback announced numerous closures. The faux-Australian restaurant had suffered losses in the millions as a result of a number of causes, including a transition in the sector from casual dining to fast-casual.

Business Insider claims that Bloomin’ Brands was experiencing trouble with all of their brands, including Outback and its sibling restaurants Carrabba’s, Fleming’s Steakhouse, and Bonefish Grill.

Outback is in a challenging situation. There are already two strikes against Outback because steakhouses in general are in trouble (read more about their troubles here).

The brand is in trouble when you take into account its unhealthily priced flagship dish, the fact that it is now a huge chain competing with far trendier independent restaurants, and the price of the food.

Outback’s future is uncertain as a result of the litigation, claims of racial insensitivity, and negative headlines. Do You want To learn more about what has been happening? Why Outback is having trouble is the subject of a lengthy article. In The previous two years, The closures continued unabated.

Outback Steakhouse Made a Major Sacrifice To help Employees Through the Pandemic

There was a lot of uncertainty in 2020, especially for restaurant workers during the spring and summer. The CEO of Bloomin’ Brands, the Organization that Owns Outback Steakhouse, declared in April that he would forego his Compensation in Order to Contribute To the pay of front-line employees.

David Deno began his no-pay summer on April 6, and he reportedly told FSR Magazine that he would refrain from accepting a salary for however long was necessary.

His Base Compensation is $900,000 Per year, Plus a bonus that could be worth up to 1.5 times that amount.

The Board of directors for Bloomin’ Brands likewise joined the effort and declared they would forgo their pay. It Made a significant impact, according to Nation’s Restaurant News: Outback was Ready to go as soon as it was declared that the restaurants could reopen. The Company was able to keep many of its staff throughout the pandemic.

Outback has a Simple Motto

Every successful company need a guiding principle. Outback is not an exception, and its motto is “No Rules, Just Right.” Since the slogan has appeared in Outback’s advertising for almost as long as the chain has been in business, you presumably already know it. In 1992, the business requested trademark protection for the phrase (according to Justia).

The phrase is supposed to convey to consumers that Outback is serious about quality but not at the expense of enjoyment, according to the restaurant’s website. But Outback’s creator Chris T. in a Piece written for the Harvard Business Review.

The slogan, according to Sullivan, also applies to the staff members of the chain. There are no restrictions that hinder staff members at certain Outback locations from experimenting and developing fresh menu and cuisine ideas.

Even if not all suggestions are welcomed, the ability to experiment encourages Outback to be innovative. Sullivan asserts that good suggestions are welcomed from all areas of the company, not just from the executive suites where traditionally the major choices would be made alone.

Your Food at Outback May have been Prepared in the Microwave

Being a casual restaurant, Outback Steakhouse may economize in ways that fine dining establishments wouldn’t risk. Employees claim that this also applies to microwave cooking.

One employee at Outback used TikTok in January 2024 to demonstrate how the restaurant business cooks its lobster tails.

He cooks the lobster in the video by placing it in a sizable tray with water and heating the tray in the microwave. He responded, are freshly steam lobsters there.

It seems that many Outback dishes are prepared in the microwave. A 19-year employee of Outback Restaurant acknowledged using microwaves in the company’s kitchens when asked on Quora if it does. “Is there a microwave here?

Yes, But contrary to what you’ve been told, We don’t cook ALL of our meals this way,” she wrote. We primarily use it to prepare veggies on demand or when someone requests softer-cooked vegetables.

Premade pasta sauces are cooked in microwaves, according to a different Quora user who also worked for Outback.

He added, “They thought it was better to just put the sauce and noodles into a microwave container and nuke it for a minute and 30 seconds. They concluded it was better to not only outsource the sauce and have it produced at some central prep plant.

“Yet another Outback employee confirmed on Reddit that the restaurant’s sauces, fries, dressings, lamb, fish, and desserts are all delivered frozen.

Outback Parent Company Owns Several other Popular Restaurant chains

The Same is True of Outback Steakhouse. Three additional chain restaurants not part of the Outback empire are presently owned by its operator, Bloomin’ Brands: Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, and Bonefish Grill. The first restaurant to join the Outback family was Carrabba’s.

In 1993, Outback and the restaurant’s owners signed a contract calling for the opening of 10 additional outlets. The proprietor of the steakhouse acquired Carrabba’s two years later. Outback bought the Fleming’s brand in 2000, and the seafood-focused Bonefish Grill the following year.

According to Bloomin’ Brands, there are currently 1,450 locations for its restaurants worldwide. It Used To be a much larger corporation but decided To focus on a smaller market in recent years.

According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the restaurant firm sold the network of Lee Roy Selmon’s restaurants in Florida in 2008.

According to Nation’s Restaurant News, Bloomin’ sold the Cheeseburger in Paradise brand the next year. These choices turned out to be wise ones because both chains have subsequently closed.

Outback Use To Sponsored a College football Bowl Game

Nowadays, big corporations are dominating almost every industry, and the restaurant industry is no exception. Almost all Significant fast-food and fast-casual chains are owned by a parent company that also owns other eateries, according To Business Insider.

Outback Steakhouse seized the possibility to participate in college football when it presented itself. After all, American football is the definitive symbol of Australian food. Outback Steakhouse consented to become the Hall of Fame Bowl’s title sponsor in 1996 (source: Tampa Bay Times).

The football game is always played in Tampa Bay, where the restaurant chain’s headquarters are also located, thus the collaboration was only logical.

Outback Steakhouse eventually attained the distinction of being the longest-running bowl game title sponsor in the annals of college football. Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever. It was revealed in March 2022 that Outback would be removed from the bowl’s name.

The Tampa Bay Bowl would be the new name for the contest. The timing of the statement was a little puzzling because Outback had extended their agreement for another six years in 2019.

But There didn’t Seem To be Any Animosity. In their statement regarding the modification, Bloomin’ Brands, the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, only had positive things to say about the bowl game and the area of Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Bowl’s moniker was short-lived. ReliaQuest, a cybersecurity business with headquarters in Tampa, agreed to serve as the game’s headline sponsor in June.

Conclusion

Outback Steakhouse has grown to be a well-liked American franchise restaurant, Distinguished by its homey ambiance, iconic dishes like the Bloomin’ Onion, and decor with an Australian influence.

Even while it May not have originated in Australia, the restaurant has won over customers there with its delectable fare And welcoming staff.

Everyone can find something they like at Outback Steakhouse, Whether they want a filling steak supper or a nutritious salad.

FAQs About Outback Steakhouse