The once popular Outback Steakhouse has found themselves in a bit of a dismal state.
Restaurants are closing, customers aren't walking in the door, and things look dire.
Why?
It might not be for the reasons you think.
Bloomin' heart attack
The Bloomin' Onion is Outback's signature dish, such a staple that anyone who even hears
mention of the chain thinks of this plate of deep-fried goodness first.
And that's a problem, especially at a time when people are increasingly more conscious
of the food they're eating and the calories they're consuming.
Even the regular Bloomin' Onion isn't for the faint of heart, clocking in at a whopping
1,959 calories.
It gets worse: 1,450 of those are from fat, and if you use that dipping sauce, you're
looking at a dish with more than 170 grams of fat.
As if that's not bad enough, Outback hasn't made it healthier and they've introduced less
healthy versions at various times of the year.
For March Madness 2017, they offered up the 3 Point Bloomin' Onion, which was covered
in fries, cheese, bacon, and meat cubes.
All that added up to 3,080 calories, and that's not how most people are looking to start a
casual dinner out.
They've been outed
When Outback opened in 1988, it was acceptable to label Bloomin' Onions, well-done steaks,
and Foster's beer as the highlight of Australian cuisine.
In the 21st century, though, it's an idea that hasn't aged well because there's absolutely
nothing Australian about most of Outback's offerings.
LA Weekly called the Bloomin' Onion "a triumph of Americana," and it's true.
After all, Outback's founders were inspired by Crocodile Dundee when it came to their
theme, not actual, real Australia.
That's sort of like an American restaurant being inspired by this:
"Warm apple pie."
Australian-born, James Beard award-winning writer Besha Rodell said it best, wanting
to clear some things up after eating at Outback.
"Four shrimp on the barbie, mate."
Not actually a thing in Australia.
No, that's not authentic, either.
And that's just the start.
We've grown a bit since the 1980s, and if we go out for Australian cuisine, it better
be real Australian cuisine.
Outdated style
Everyone knows it's called Outback Steakhouse for a reason, and author Josh Ozersky says
that's a huge problem not just for Outback, but for any restaurant that stakes their reputation
on, well, steak.
Ozersky says that at one time, the steakhouse was one of the biggest, most quintessentially
American places to go for a good meal.
But recently, they've been left behind as the culinary landscape has changed.
Steak served in such bulk quantities is rarely high-end stuff, the sides are almost always
the bland same-old, and the meat is typically prepared using additives, MSG, and other sorts
of tenderizers.
At a time when people are more likely than ever before to cook their own food, they're
also more likely to take the time to get a really nice piece of meat from the grocery
store or the butcher.
That's pushed steakhouses out, and Ozersky calls them,
"[…] closer in spirit to strip clubs or spas, places to which people repair for rites
of costly self-indulgence."
Doesn't really sound like fun, does it?
Local competition
One reason Outback Steakhouse is struggling is true of nearly all casual dining chains:
competition.
But it's not just competition with other national chains that's hurting their business, there's
also been a rise in independent restaurants trying to keep their doors open.
These independent players also have an advantage over chains, in that they can offer guests
more unique experiences and, oftentimes, that leads to better online reviews and more new
diners stepping through the doors.
Outback needs to complete with different restaurants on different levels, with unique experiences,
one-of-a-kind specials, and local owners… and that's a tough thing to do, especially
at a time when many people are trying to make a conscious decision to support more small
businesses.
"So here is the chicken you'll be enjoying tonight."
"Oh, you have this information?
This is fantastic."
"Absolutely.
His name was Collin.
Here are his papers, okay?"
"Great!"
Racial insensitivities
The 500-plus different groups of Aboriginal people living in Australia are descendants
of the continent's original inhabitants.
According to Survival International, all those years of living in harmony with nature came
to an end with 18th century colonization, and that's caused serious conflict that still
continues today.
And that's why it was an incredibly bad idea to try to market the Bloomin' Onion as an
"Outback Ab-original."
Social media didn't take lightly to the term, saying it wasn't just in bad taste to make
fun of Australia's indigenous people, but it was approaching outright racism.
Outback was quick to apologize, saying they never intended to cause any harm.
Even some of their less racist advertisements have been extremely insensitive, and that's
the sort of thing social media doesn't forget.
PR disasters and lawsuits
Outback's troubles started as far back as 2009, when they paid out $19 million after
female employees went to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with claims they had
been denied advancement opportunities because of their gender.
Then, in 2016, Outback found itself paying $3 million to settle a class action lawsuit
brought over unpaid wages.
The company had been asking employees to work an unpaid, pre-shift period they called "Outback
Time."
Yikes!
They've had a few major social media snafus, too, like the firing of a server after her
complaints about not getting a tip on a massive order from Christ Fellowship.
The church reached out to make things right, but Outback's handling of the situation didn't
go over well with anyone.
Then, when a uniformed, on-duty Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency officer was asked
to leave because he wouldn't put his service weapon in his car, you can imagine how well
that went over with the public.
And public opinion can break a restaurant.