Has my palate improved with age or did Outback Steakhouse become

[Laura PourMeADrink]

the most horrible tasting place around over the years?

I have tried it twice because someone gave me a $150 gift certificate.

I literally fed half of my prime rib to my dog, Larry. It was inedible.

[Ikonoklast]

1. Never cared for them, myself.

Of all the chain-type steakhouses, I found that the Texas Roadhouse seems to be about the best at maintaining the quality of their product over the years.

Decent steak for a fair price, even still.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. I agree...the TX Roadhouse, isn't bad at all.

[sadbear]

2. What did you expect?

It is what it is.

[HopeHoops]

3. No clue. I haven't touched beef in over 20 years. But Hoss's has a nice salad bar!

[Populist_Prole]

5. I thought it was nothing special food wise

Not bad or unpleasant, but the food was just typical chain restaurant fare IMO. I also thought the only thing "Australian" about it was all the kitsch. I don't understand why that place is held in such high regard by so many.

[GoCubsGo]

9. I've never eaten there.

And, one of the reasons was that some of their earlier commercials really annoyed me. They featured people singing with a supposedly Australian accent. It was really annoying and very fake sounding. But, it's still not quite as high on the "Why the hell do people think this place is so great?" list as as several other chain restaurants, like Red Lobster and Olive Garden.

[Taverner]

6. I never liked Outhouse...er...Outback

[Laura PourMeADrink]

29. you win funniest thing I have heard this whole day...thanks T

[OriginalGeek]

7. It's always been pretty average to me

although I like it a little better now than I used to since I found out you can order fried mushrooms as an appetizer (even though it's no longer on the menu) and I like their wedge salad.


Still, that's not a ringing endorsement to say a steakhouse is OK because of appetizer and a salad.


Also the one by me quit having Yuengling on tap so that's a big point against.

[Initech]

8. I ate Outback a couple weeks ago - I thought it sucked as well.

It's the Olive Garden of steak houses.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. Well never thought it was a 4 star, but the best I remember - probably 15 yrs

ago, it was half-way decent.

My prime rib had the weirdest texture....dry...can hardly even believe it was real meat. haha

One chain that I still think is pretty good is Red Lobster...do you? I always thought and still do,
that their ice cold dinner salad is always great...cold and crispy.

[Initech]

15. I haven't been to a Red Lobster in several years. I should try it again.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

30. funny....took a Marketing course years ago.. and they said the absolute best marketing was

done by Red Lobster....the ad...with the spray of lemon....he said..."It is so effective, it makes you
forget that you went there two years ago and it sucked."

I am totally picky....if you stay away from the shrimp...which taste soggy and just-thawed-out
you will be ok

[MissMarple]

10. Salty and greasy.

[MiddleFingerMom]

11. Never eaten there. Decades ago, I used to eat at Ponderosa Steak House -- inexpensive...

.
.
.
... pretty decent steaks (for the price) and a great salad bar.
.
.
.
After about 7-8 years, their steaks started tasting heavily tenderized and it took me a good
half-dozen trips to stop my wishful thinking -- to realize that they had gone for the hardcore
bottom line.
.
Within a couple of years, both of the ones in our area of SE Pennsyvania closed down.
.
.
.

[Initech]

18. Supports my theory about poorly run restaurants.

Back in the mid - late 90's in Orange County we had this Mexican / Southwestern chain called Spoons. At their height - they were actually comparable to Chili's with several locations and lines out the door. Then they got taken over in the early 2000's. Locations started closing one by one. The food quality took a huge nose dive. About a month ago, I ate at their only remaining location near Santa Ana airport. The food was absolutely horrendous - I ordered fajitas and they were dry as hell - and there was almost no one in the restaurant - and the few that were there certainly weren't there for the food. Haven't been back since.

[Bigleaf]

13. What I want to know is....

What time do you pick poor Larry up from the vet and how much did the vet charge you?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

14. Texas Roadhouse has good steaks.

Other chains don't.

I'm talking about apart from a place that advertises itself as a steakhouse, like Ruth's Chris or Smith & Wollensky's.

[applegrove]

16. I stay away from low end steak place chains. The quality of the meat is awful. And it ruins

the whole meal.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

17. Their quality has gone downhill.

I recently had their prime rib, baby back ribs and porterhouse steak. Their food is not as good as it used to be. It wasn't so bad that I would feed it to my dog, but I can cook better food myself. When I go to a restaurant and pay more than $20 for a plate, I expect them to be able to cook at least as good as I can.

[Major Nikon]

19. I can't speak for Outback because I haven't been there in many years

However, it's possible to get a bum cut from anywhere. Most steak houses use either USDA choice or prime beef. Due to the limitations of the grading process, it's possible for tough beef to get through. If this happens, you tell the steak house you got a bad cut and ask for another. Any reputable steak house should honor your request without question.

The reason I don't go to Outback and similar chain restaurants is because if I'm going to pay that much (or more) for a cut of beef, it's going to be from a steak house that ages and butchers their own beef in house. I don't mind paying a lot for a steak or prime rib if it's top notch, but if I can do as good or better myself at home it's not worth it to me.

[HeiressofBickworth]

20. As I frequently say

It's all about the money. So, when Outback started, they made a profit. Their investors insisted on an INCREASE in profit every year. Well, the buying public will only go so high in prices, so the cuts have to come from the bottom. They then start buying cheaper cuts of meat and other ingredients in order to increase their bottom line. Next comes the less-than-minimum-wage wait-staff and certainly no benefits. As the food and service continue to drop off, they will eventually close. The root problem is that investors aren't satisfied with merely earning a profit, they want an INCREASE in profit every year. It sucks any food/service quality they ever had right out of the business. Me? I ate there once and wasn't impressed so I never went back.

[Populist_Prole]

22. Dead-on correct. To them it's selling the "sizzle" rather than the steak.

Those points you bring up are so brutally true, and about so many businesses. I'll bet that when they've got the last drop of blood from that turnip after the branding can no longer overcome the loss of actual quality, they'll never equate its eventual failure with their own unsustainable business model. They'll just find another one to "flip".

[Patiod]

28. It's why we eat only locally - no chains

And yes, I realize we're lucky to be able to do so. A friend from Lower Delaware is coming to visit, and she wanted to know what good chains there were in Philly - maybe Chilis?

I told her I don't eat in chains because I don't have to, but I know she probably doesn't have much else available. We'll have a lot of tasty, inexpensive options to choose from in Chinatown when she comes up to visit.

My SO and I take care of my elderly dad, and every Sunday he treats us to dinner out, on the understanding that we'll stay close by and be fairly frugal (not McDonald's frugal, but around $50 for two frugal). We jokingly call it "the helps' night off".

We are really lucky to have a pretty good assortment of BYOB restaurants within a 10 mile radius out here in the 'burbs: Italian, Portugese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese.

We have traveled the US enough to know that there are a lot of towns with very few options other than chains, so we're not judging (although we do tend to shake our heads at locals who go to chains around here when they could patronize local family businesses)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

34. exactly...true about all businesses... I accredit it to "instant business news". Long ago,

if you owned stock in a company, you would scan the paper and look up IBM and if it went up
50 cents a share, you were happy. Their internal (and totally realistic) ups and downs were
private to all.

enter instant news, and everything changed. now, a company's every move is analyzed by the minute

how do they keep up profits to exceed last reporting period? No other way than to kill pensions, kill salary
increases, kill benefits, and suck the life out of their once winning product.

so, I say, ban CNBC and Bloomberg

[Doctor Jack]

21. Its always been awful

Like Red Lobster or the Olive Garden. Its food that morons think is fancy but is really god awful garbage.

[RobinA]

24. This Seems

a bit extreme. Olive Garden "god awful garbage"? It's a chain restaurant that I have always found quite edible. I've had far worse at both chains and non-chains. And at home, god knows.

As for Outback, I've eaten there twice. The first time was at least 10 years ago and it was quite enjoyable. The second time was about three years ago and my meal was fine, my sister's was less than fine. She sent it back and got a better dinner. Not great.

[auntAgonist]

26. morons think is fancy but is really god awful garbage. I have enjoyed a lot of Red Lobster lunches

and I like Olive Garden too.

Morons?

welcome to DU, I have a feeling you might not be around too long.

aA

[Scuba]

23. Larry deserves better.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

36. LOL...he, so far, is still alive. So, obviously Outback will not kill you.

[CBGLuthier]

25. We ate there once some twenty plus years ago

Never felt the slightest urge to go back.

[auntAgonist]

27. We went to Outback twice. Giving in to the benefit of the doubt.

We didn't enjoy it either time. It was also quite pricey.

aA

[Generic Brad]

31. What's the matter? You don't like excessive salt?

Ten years ago I loved eating there. But, alas, like you I can no longer tolerate their food.

[Honeycombe8]

32. I don't eat there, but I heard complaints about OS recently from friends. nt

[TreasonousBastard]

33. You'll never guess who owns them...

No, really, you'll never guess...


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116283201503214558.html

(and according to Wikipedia, they are among the largest restaurant donators to Republicans)

Could this use its own thread?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

35. Hysterical...yes...own thread TB

[RZM]

37. Haven't been in a while. I remember it being ok, but not all that

I don't much order steaks out and I almost never go to chain steakhouses.

My favorite place to get a steak is a one-of-a-kind joint. I've never been anywhere else that can touch it in terms of either meat quality or atmosphere.

I did have a pretty decent steak at a casino a few months ago. But most of the time I eat steak at family gatherings.

[DeSwiss]

38. When one considers how beef is raised in this country.....

...and what they're raised on -- the wonder is that it's consumable at all.

[pitohui]

39. they;'re a chain, yanno?

when i get those gift certs i'm a bad evil excuse for a human being but i spend my share on martinis while some ignorant person (who is going to give me cash) for the giftcert eats the steak onions in question -- and they not only give me money but they're the designated driver too

SCORE!!!!