Outback Steakhouse Is Investing In New Tech To Improve Its Food And Dining Experience
Outback Steakhouse has implemented new tableside technology in all 691 of its U.S.-based restaurants and continues to install new "advanced" grills and ovens in its kitchens this quarter. The purpose? According to Bloomin' Brands CEO Dave Deno on the second-quarter earnings call on August 1, "improved product quality and overall meal pacing." And profit growth, of course.
Though tablets can be a touchy subject for some diners, Outback isn't leaving servers out of the equation. Instead, serves have replaced their pen and pads with handheld tablet units. This means that instead of scribbling on a ticket at the table — or as so many of our favorite servers so expertly do, somehow remember a whole complicated order — and then walk over to input it into the system that talks to the kitchen, they instantly send the whole orderto the kitchen, tableside. Having the server do this instead of asking customers to put their orders in on tabletop tablets themselves means diners are still able to ask questions and don't have to learn how to navigate the system themselves. It also leads to fewer forgotten orders, customizations, and order accidents, while still creating a face-to-face service scenario for diners.
And it seems to be working. In the annual ACSI Restaurant Study of customer satisfaction, Outback Steakhouse moved from its 2022 ranking of sixth place up to first place in 2023. According to Deno, customers have noted an improvement in the steakhouse's service.
What do we know about the grills and ovens?
When it comes to the grill and oven upgrades in the back of house, we don't know much. Dave Deno claimed in a February earnings call (via Nation's Restaurant News) that they will provide more accurate cooking, food quality, and productivity. Deno said (via Foodservice Equipment Reports) that the new grills are meant to address one of Outback Steakhouse's biggest issues: accuracy in the cook on its steaks. He said that early tests show improvements in service speed and throughput, and implemented the first upgrades in the highest-volume restaurants.
Deno added in the August 1 call that the new kitchen equipment — and the servers' tablets — has improved the company's margins. With the rollout of the new grills and ovens, he expects to see even more improvements to its margins in 2024.
For years, Outback has used the Cres Cor oven, which utilizes a temperature sensor probe inserted into the meat throughout cooking and has up to 18 recipe-specific settings. These settings and the thermometers allow the oven to do the work of ensuring the proper temp of the meat inside for the desired cook, even timing the hold for the kitchen chefs. The question, then, will be how much these new grills and ovens do in addition to what the Cres Cors already do and how the back-of-house staff will feel about them as they're implemented.