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Even chain restaurants have to continually reinvent themselves to stay fresh with customers. That means menu innovation, and evolving the concept. <\/p>\n
“The lifeblood of the restaurant industry is new items. You need something to speak about,” Panda Restaurant Group Chief Supply Chain Officer Roland Ornelas told Restaurant Dive<\/a>, adding, “You have to really focus on that value to guests \u2014 but you also have to steal customers from your competitors.” <\/p>\n It’s not just a question of change for change sake, but also executing in way that makes sense to customers. <\/p>\n Outback Steakhouse, a 38-year-old chain, has struggled in recent years with its menu, its execution, and keeping customers coming back. That led to Bloomin’ Brands deciding to close some restaurants while overhauling most of the rest of the chain. <\/p>\n “This year, we completed a detailed review of our restaurant base and identified 21 underperforming restaurants, which we closed last week. We also identified 22 restaurants in which we would not renew the lease,” Bloomin’ Brands CFO Eric Christel shared during the company’s third-quarter 2025 earnings call<\/a>. <\/p>\n The company closed the first 21 locations in 2025, with many of the remaining shutdowns taking place this year. <\/p>\n “Most of those leases expire in the next 4 years. Our goal is to focus our resources on the remaining healthier restaurants,” he added. <\/p>\n More Restaurants\u00a0<\/strong> <\/p>\n Part of Outback’s challenge has been losing its perception as a value brand. <\/p>\n “It has lost share to steakhouse competitors such as Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse, which have been two of the best performers in casual dining in recent years. And it has had a particularly hard time attracting customers with household incomes below $100,000. Outback’s leadership thinks value is a big reason for that,” according to Restaurant Business<\/a>. <\/p>\n The chain’s overhaul includes a renewed focus on the menu, offering customers value, and improving execution, according to comments during the company most recent Q1 earnings call<\/a>. <\/p>\n My wife and I used to eat at Outback Steakhouse regularly, but having covered the restaurant industry for more than 20 years<\/a>, we have begun to notice the signs of a brand in decline. <\/p>\n Service speeds have been inconsistent, and food quality has varied from visit to visit. That’s anecdotal, but it’s in line with comments the company has made about what needs to be fixed at the family-friendly steakhouse chain. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Outback Steakhouse closes restaurants <\/h2>\n
Outback Steakhouse lost its way <\/h2>\n