If you are looking for a new place to eat,
then there is no better time than right now to check out Outback Steakhouse. Famed for their Bloomin’ Onion, this restaurant
offers a menu packed with delicious treats for the whole family. However, before you can sample their delicious
menu, it’s a great idea to learn as much as you can about this much-loved chain. With this in mind, we have put together the
Top 10 untold truths of Outback Steakhouse. Outback Steakhouse is not as Australian as
We Think One of the most interesting facts about Outback
Steakhouse is that it is actually not as Australian as it would lead us to believe. Marketed as a taste of the outback, this popular
fast-food chain actually serves more American treats than anything! Founded in 1988 in Tampa, Florida, Outback
Steakhouse was the brainchild of Bob Basham, Trudy Cooper, Chris T Sullivan, and Tim Gannon. The first surprising fact to learn about the
founders is that none of them have ever actually even visited the land down under before opening
the first steakhouse. They had originally planned a trip to Australia
for research purposes but decided that they didn’t want to be influenced too much by
their travels. 1987 saw the release of Crocodile Dundee which
ended up being the second most popular movie in America for that year. It is definitely safe to say that the release
of this movie heavily influenced the design ideas behind Outback Steakhouse with its less-than-accurate
portrayal of the Australian Outback. The food on offer at this popular chain is
actually quite heavily influenced by New Orleans cuisine. They serve a range of American classics from
a variety of steaks, burgers, fried foods and of course, Mac n’ Cheese. Despite not being an accurate portrayal of
the outback, there are currently over 1000 locations across North and South America,
Asia and surprisingly, Australia. Their revenue for 2017 alone was a staggering
$3.8 billion USD. Liking this video so far? Hit that subscribe button and ring that bell
to join our notification squad. Outback Steakhouse is Most Famous for Their
Bloomin’ Onion It goes without saying that Outback Steakhouse
was really put on the map with the release of their famous Bloomin’ Onion dish. Tim Gannon developed this delicious dish back
in 1988 and was inspired by New Orleans cuisine. The first Bloomin’ Onion was served in the
first location in Tampa, Florida. When the dish was initially created, each
onion was trimmed by hand. However, the founders definitely did not anticipate
the popularity of it and staff were struggling to keep up with demand. It was at this point that a machine called
a ‘Gloria’ was introduced, which trims each onion into 200+ petals. A staggering 40 million Bloomin’ Onions
were served between 2012 and 2015, so it is safe to say that this is one of the most popular
dishes on the menu. In fact, 1 out of every 4 appetizers ordered
from the menu is a Bloom. Over time, variations of the dish have been
created. For example, it is now possible to order a
Bloomin’ Onion burger. However, one of the most popular variations
is quite recent to the menu and that is the Bloomin’ Onion topped with cheese fries
and baby back ribs. Named the 3-Point Rib Bloom, this dish contains
a massive 3,500 calories. It is certainly not something that you’d
want to be eating if you’re watching your waistline! Each year Outback Steakhouse seems set to
outdo themselves with a new limited edition dish. If you are planning a first-time visit to
Outback Steakhouse, then the Bloomin’ Onion is definitely the first thing that you should
order. Outback Steakhouse Has Some Interesting and
Dedicated Fans If you are a social media user, then there
is every chance that you have come across the famous nightlife photographer Kirill Bichutsky. This controversial character is not only a
famous photographer but also now a famous party host who is best known for his wild
antics which we will definitely not be mentioning here. If you have followed any of his antics then
you will know exactly what we’re talking about. Anyway, Kirill is a massive fan of Outback
Steakhouse, so much so that he actually has the Outback logo tattooed on his arm. Another famous face that loves Outback is
Chrissy Teigen. The model, television host and wife of John
Legend is a huge fan of the casual diner. So much so that she sent out a tweet to her
five million followers asking them for a recipe to replicate Outback’s famous Bloomin’
Onion. She received thousands of responses, but the
one that stuck out was a reply from Outback’s PR team. They offered to teach her the tricks of the
famous dish, to which she responded asking them to send a chef to her house to teach
her. Naturally, they obliged, and the next week
flew a team out to her LA home. They filmed a demo showing how to create the
famous dish and an article was published on People.com along with many other famous media
outlets. It is safe to say that this will have definitely
worked to the advantage of the marketing team for Outback Steakhouse. Outback Steakhouse Found Themselves In The
Middle of a Strange Conspiracy Theory Most franchises will have found themselves
the topic of a conspiracy theory at some point or another; it’s just how it goes these
days. With social media making rumors spread like
wildfire, it’s no surprise that this is the case. Of course, Outback Steakhouse did not escape
the keyboard warriors when they decided to target the chain with possibly one of the
strangest food-related conspiracy theories in history. It all started when a Twitter user sent out
a tweet claiming to have photographic evidence that proves that particular Outback Steakhouse
locations could be connected on a map to create the shape of a pentagram. The pentagram is largely associated with the
Wiccan religion and witchcraft along with Satanism. Naturally, the only logical conclusion that
the world of Twitter could come to was that in fact, Outback Steakhouse are Satanists
with strong links to the occult. Of course, there is no way that it could be
a mere coincidence. Thankfully, Outback saw the funny side and
responded with an image of their world famous Bloomin’ Onion placed over a map of Florida
along with the caption “If the Bloomin’ Onion is evil then we don’t want to be nice.” Go Outback Steakhouse! Some Outback Steakhouse Dishes Are Incredibly
Unhealthy Considering Outback Steakhouse places themselves
in the category of ‘casual dining’, none of us would expect their dishes to be particularly
healthy. While they offer some healthier dishes on
their menu such as salads, the majority of their food is relatively unhealthy. However, we were gobsmacked by just how unhealthy
some of their food actually is. This is possibly down to their motto of “No
Rules. Just Right”. This rule allows customers to adjust virtually
every dish to their individual tastes. There are some great examples of some really
unhealthy dishes on their menu. Let’s start with the crab cake entrée. You’d think that this is a relatively healthy
choice – nope! In some locations, you are able to order the
dish with three cakes, which have been deep-fried and are laden with fat. This version of the dish comes in at a massive
1,470 calories. The regular steak quesadilla consists of tortillas
filled with ribs, Monterey Jack cheese, a chipotle spread and sour cream among other
ingredients. We wouldn’t necessarily expect this to be
healthy but the calorie count is staggering at 1,590 calories. What has been labeled as perhaps one of the
unhealthiest entrées in history is, of course, the delicious Loaded Bloomin’ Onion. The regular Bloomin’ Onion dish is unhealthy
as it is, considering it consists of deep fried onion petals, but when you add to it
an entire portion of fries topped with melted Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, plus bacon
and the Bloom Sauce along with a spicy ranch dressing, it comes in at a gut-busting 2,960
calories. Although it is supposed to be a sharing dish,
you can imagine that some people will have tried to tackle the dish on their own which
is definitely not recommended. Menu and Recipe Secrets at Outback Steakhouse
May Shock You If you have never been to an Outback Steakhouse
location, then you might not know what to expect in terms of the food that they serve. You wouldn’t be alone if you assumed that
they only served steaks. However, this particular steakhouse serves
a lot more than that and their recipe and menu secrets may well shock you. First of all, there is the fact that there
are a staggering 17 herbs and spices contained within the recipe for the steak rub. The rub itself was developed by Tim Gannon
when he worked in a restaurant called Copeland’s in New Orleans, so the flavors have certainly
been influenced by local cuisine. Numerous people have tried and failed to deconstruct
the secret recipe. However, what most people can agree on is
that the rub at least contains salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder,
ground coriander, and turmeric. Who knows what the other secret herbs and
spices are! Another interesting fact is that the menu
for Outback Steakhouse actually varies depending on the region that you are in. In Malaysia, the only mostly Muslim country
with an Outback Steakhouse, the menu is completely pork free to comply with local religious dietary
requirements. If you visit a location in a Southern state,
you will find crawfish on the menu. Eastern states offer lobster and Western states
offer Alaskan king crab. One final thing that makes Outback stand out
from other steakhouses is that they griddle their steaks on a flat top in butter, whereas
most other eateries will grill or broil their meat. Outback Steakhouse certainly lean towards
the Republican Party One thing that many people will definitely
be shocked by is just how much money Outback Steakhouse has actually donated to political
campaigns, especially campaigns run by the Republicans. If you know a bit about business and politics,
then you will already be well aware that companies are not actually able to donate directly to
any political campaigns. However, they can do so via company-sponsored
political action committees. Within these committees, shareholders and
companies are able to put their money together and donate that money to political causes. Between the years of 2011 and 2014, Bloomin’
Brands, the company behind Outback Steakhouse, donated a mind-boggling $1,091,030 to political
causes. What is even more staggering is that a massive
93% of this money went to Republican causes. During 2016, the Bloomin’ Brands political
action committee made $350,200 in donations and 85% of that went to the Republican Party. On the flip side, Elizabeth Smith, who is
actually the CEO of Bloomin’ Brands, personally donated $5,400 directly to Hillary Clinton’s
presidential campaign. Of course, everyone is entitled to support
whichever party they choose, but it is safe to say that Outback Steakhouse definitely
leans towards supporting the Republicans. Outback Steakhouse Was Not Always Successful What will shock many watchers is the fact
that Outback Steakhouse has not always been the successful franchise that it is today. Back in 2013, the brand celebrated their 25th
anniversary in business. The four founders decided to talk to The Tampa
Times about the business. The location that they chose to meet at was
the original Outback Steakhouse in South Tampa, Florida. At the time of opening back in the 80’s,
there was nowhere locally that offered people a casual dining experience. If local residents wanted to visit somewhere
for casual dining, they would have to travel to the other side of the city. So the founders originally assumed that they
would be very successful in the area. Instead, they found that they struggled with
evening service. At one point, they had to ask employees to
park their cars at the front of the steakhouse so that it looked like the location was busy
with customers. They also encouraged them to bring their friends
and family to dine at the steakhouse. The first location was actually an old bar
that the founders had to put a lot of work into, in order to get it to the standard that
we see today. These days, there are over 1000 locations
and the franchise is worth billions. Popularity is largely down to the Bloomin’
Onion, without a doubt. However, there is also the fact that customers
are able to order virtually any combination of food that they want, something that you
won’t find in other steakhouses. Bloomin’ Brands Offers a Great Loyalty Program In July of 2016, Bloomin’ Brands launched
a multi-concept loyalty program called Dine Rewards. This reward program covers all 4 of the Bloomin’
Brands franchises; Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming’s
Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. Customers are able to earn up to 50% off (up
to $20) of their 4th visit to any of the 4 franchises. There are also monetary incentives for those
who sign up to the loyalty program online. In order for customers to claim their rewards,
all they have to do is to inform the waiter or waitress of the telephone number that is
associated with their loyalty account; it is as simple as that! Outback Steakhouse Sponsors the Outback Bowl The Outback Bowl is an annual college football
bowl, held on New Year’s Day every year. The game is held in Tampa, Florida, and used
to be called the Hall of Fame Bowl. The name was changed to the Outback Bowl in
1995 when Outback Steakhouse became the official sponsors of the game. It used to be played at the Tampa Stadium,
but these days it is played at the Raymond James Stadium. This year saw South Carolina named as the
victors over Michigan. Outback even has their own mascot for the
yearly event! There you have it, 10 interesting facts about
Outback Steakhouse. Before you do go for a visit, make sure you
read up on all of the possible food combinations. It goes without saying that you should try
the Bloomin' Onion, but there are plenty of other delicious dishes on offer too! Try them all, you will not be disappointed. You know what else doesn’t disappoint? Our videos! So hit that subscribe button, ring that notification
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