38-year-old steakhouse chain closed 21 restaurants, more planned

Even concatenation restaurants person to continually reinvent themselves to enactment caller with customers. That means paper innovation, and evolving the concept.

“The lifeblood of the edifice manufacture is caller items. You request thing to talk about,” Panda Restaurant Group Chief Supply Chain Officer Roland Ornelas told Restaurant Dive, adding, “You person to truly absorption connected that worth to guests — but you besides person to bargain customers from your competitors.”

It's not conscionable a question of alteration for alteration sake, but besides executing successful mode that makes consciousness to customers.

Outback Steakhouse, a 38-year-old chain, has struggled successful caller years with its menu, its execution, and keeping customers coming back. That led to Bloomin' Brands deciding to adjacent immoderate restaurants portion overhauling astir of the remainder of the chain.

Outback Steakhouse closes restaurants

"This year, we completed a elaborate reappraisal of our edifice basal and identified 21 underperforming restaurants, which we closed past week. We besides identified 22 restaurants successful which we would not renew the lease," Bloomin' Brands CFO Eric Christel shared during the company's third-quarter 2025 net call.

The institution closed the archetypal 21 locations successful 2025, with galore of the remaining shutdowns taking spot this year.

"Most of those leases expire successful the adjacent 4 years. Our extremity is to absorption our resources connected the remaining healthier restaurants," helium added.

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Part of Outback's situation has been losing its cognition arsenic a worth brand.

"It has mislaid stock to steakhouse competitors specified arsenic Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse, which person been 2 of the champion performers successful casual eating successful caller years. And it has had a peculiarly hard clip attracting customers with household incomes beneath $100,000. Outback’s enactment thinks worth is simply a large crushed for that," according to Restaurant Business.

The chain's overhaul includes a renewed absorption connected the menu, offering customers value, and improving execution, according to comments during the institution astir caller Q1 net call.

Outback Steakhouse mislaid its mode

My woman and I utilized to devour astatine Outback Steakhouse regularly, but having covered the edifice manufacture for much than 20 years, we person begun to announcement the signs of a marque successful decline.

Service speeds person been inconsistent, and nutrient prime has varied from sojourn to visit. That's anecdotal, but it's successful enactment with comments the institution has made astir what needs to beryllium fixed astatine the family-friendly steakhouse chain.