The Real History Behind Outback Steakhouse

Today, we're sinking our teeth into the history of Outback Steakhouse

The founders of Outback Steakhouse, Chris Sullivan, Bob Basham, Tim Gannon, and Trudy Cooper

had never even so much as visited Australia when they opened the chain's first location in a South Tampa strip mall in 1988

Just two years earlier, in 1986, the movie Crocodile Dundee became a surprise smash hit

and ignited an intense but brief American love affair with all things Australian

Outback's founders made the decision to lean into kitschy American stereotypes about Aussie culture

rather than try to replicate the real thing. They went on a shopping spree through junk and antique stores

grabbing basically anything that felt Australian to them. The decor at Outback Steakhouse isn't the only thing that isn't authentic

Pretty much nothing on the Outback menu is actually Australian. Aussies, for example, don't really do Bloomin' Onions

Tawamba is a mountain town that has no seafood, and no matter what Paul Hogan might have taught you

Australians are not big on throwing shrimps on the barbie, but at least Outback Steakhouse was

a massive success, right? Well, not at first. It was only after a massive advertising blitz that

people started checking the place out. And once they did, there was no looking back. By the time

the chain hit its 25th anniversary, it would have over 900 locations worldwide. The Bloomin' Onion

which Outback describes as a special onion, hand-carved and cooked until golden, is the

Steakhouse's signature dish. So where did it come from? The mind of Outback co-founder Tim Gannon

He figured out the recipe for the deep appetizer by tinkering with various spice combinations while working as a chef at Russell Marina Grill in New Orleans Louisiana in 1985 Incidentally we wager that where he also came up with the 17 different herbs and spices Outback uses to marinate their steaks

The Bloomin' Onion is bloomin' terrible for you. Even without the dipping sauce, it has about 1,960 calories, over 1,400 of which come from fat

On the restaurant's website, the popular appetizer was listed as Outback Aboriginal

Aboriginal Australians are the descendants of the continent's original native inhabitants, and the colonization of Australia during the 18th century took a brutal toll on Aboriginal culture

Spinning Aboriginal into a pun to sell a hulked-out onion struck some as poor taste

and the chain was accused of racial insensitivity. Outback apologized and, eventually, took the term down off its website

But despite all the controversy, Outback did right by its employees during the pandemic

David Denno, CEO of Outback's parent company, waived his nearly million-dollar salary in

order to help cover the salaries of the workers who kept the locations running. The board of directors did the same, and as a result, Outback was able to make it through

the pandemic while retaining most of their employees. As American eating habits have changed over the years, steakhouses have become a lot less popular

Millennials in particular have been slowly abandoning the increasingly expensive casual dining experience places like Outback, TGI Fridays, and Chili's provide

What are your chances of getting out of here with that jacket on? Is it possible Americans are finally over Crocodile Dundee

Better than average