It wasn’t that long ago that Outback Steakhouse was the king of chain steakhouses, but if you peruse Reddit or any other place where customers can comment on their experiences with the chain, it certainly seems like the glory days are long gone. While Outback ended 2024 as the largest steak chain in the country by number of units, it has been overtaken in sales by the rapidly rising stars Texas Roadhouse and Longhorn Steakhouse, both of which are known for offering better value in an era of rising food inflation. But that isn’t Outback’s only problem. If the steaks were pricer, but also better, it might still be in a good position, but one recent thread on Reddit asks something lots of people have been wondering: What happened to the quality of Outback’s steaks?
In the post, one customer complained that over several recent trips, “The steak was the worst I’ve ever had,” and compared it to “rubber.” This dovetails with other recent threads and articles from recent years, wondering about an overall drop in Outback’s quality. And it’s not just a few random complainers either. In our analysis of customer feedback to find the best ribeye at chain steakhouses, Outback came in dead last, with people complaining their steak was tough and dry, something a ribeye should never be. Comments on these same threads from employees of Outback are not definitive, but they share concerns that the company has had trouble with its supplier’s steak quality for years.
Read more: 9 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Dining At Texas Roadhouse
Outback Steakhouse has struggled with perceptions of lowering quality and service
Outback Steakhouse exterior – Outback Steakhouse/Instagram
There’s no clear answer to our questions about exactly what went wrong with Outback’s quality, as the chain has never directly commented on its sourcing, but recent changes the chain has announced seem to show that leadership agrees with customers. In 2024, Outback’s parent company, Bloomin’ Brands, got a new CEO, Mike Spanos, who quickly announced plans to remodel stores and simplify the menu. The thought appears to be that ridding Outback of some underperforming menu items will allow staff to focus on preparing the remaining items to a higher standard of quality and consistency. So maybe people have been asking the wrong question, and concerns about Outback’s quality are more issues with understaffing.
Outback is also reportedly working with suppliers to improve quality as part of its turnaround plan, and though specifics are light, this feels like a tacit admission that employees complaining about supply-chain issues were correct. Finally, the entire cooking process is being reworked, with employees being retrained for better results. Considering how many of the complaints around Outback are about steaks being overcooked, it certainly could be a staffing issue as much as an issue with steak quality. Of course, it remains to be seen how much any of these changes actually improve the Outback experience. Still, current management seems to clearly understand that the brand has issues and wants to go back to a time when Outback was the undisputed champion of American steak chains.
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Read the original article on Tasting Table.
