8 Rules To Know Before Visiting Outback Steakhouse

Outback Steakhouse is a casual food chain perhaps best known for its laid-back Australian theme and its mouthwatering, well-ranked steak. The chain also has a slew of other menu items, including some of the best mozzarella sticks. Despite being laid-back, the restaurants themselves have a classy ambience that makes you feel right at home as you enjoy your meal. Outback's slogan — "no rules, just right" — may make you feel as though there are truly no rules. However, this isn't quite true. Whether you've been to Outback Steakhouse a dozen times or are preparing for your first visit, there are a few simple rules you should know.

These rules aren't official, like those you may encounter at an upscale black-tie restaurant. Rather, they're implied rules that help make the most of your visit, from ensuring your steak is cooked the way you actually like it to getting the best value for your money. Be sure to read over these eight rules before your next visit to Outback Steakhouse for the best experience. Let's get into it.

Not a member of the Outback Steakhouse rewards program yet? That's something that should be rectified immediately, because it's definitely worth signing up. First, when you sign up, you'll get a free Bloomin' Onion to enjoy on your next visit — which, if you haven't tried it yet, you will definitely want to. You can also receive a free dessert to celebrate your birthday, and earn points for every dollar you spend at Outback Steakhouse. For every 350 points you earn, you can cash out a $5 reward to use against your next visit, which can help you save considerably on dining out over time.

You can sign up for the rewards program on the restaurant's website or through its mobile app. Sometimes, you can also sign up in-person at the restaurant, although you may find it easier and more convenient to sign up on your own time rather than while you're trying to eat. To sign up, you only need to enter some basic identifying information like your name, zip code, email, and phone number. You can also choose to include your birthday, which is highly recommended, so you can get your free birthday treat!

Outback, along with other steakhouses like Longhorn and Texas Roadhouse, allows you to choose your desired steak temperature. This is fairly common among steakhouses, although not every chain or local restaurant allows this level of customization. To ensure you get exactly what you want, you need to know how to properly order your steak to temp.

If you want a steak with a cool red center, order it rare. For a warm pink-red center, choose medium rare, or opt for medium if you prefer a pink center. Medium-well will have very little pink inside, with a center that's predominantly as brown as the steak's exterior. If the idea of any red makes you feel squeamish, you'd want to choose well-done. These "steak temps" actually correlate to real temperatures when they're being cooked in the restaurant's kitchen.

Once your steak arrives at the table, you should check its temperature immediately to ensure it's been cooked according to your preferences. To do this, cut into the middle of the steak, which will allow you to see the least done part of the meat. If it's not cooked the way you prefer, you can let the waiter know when they circle back to ask how everything came out.

Outback Steakhouse may not be as popular as it was back in its heyday, but its locations still stay quite busy. This is especially true during nights, weekends, and major holidays. To reduce the risk of a long wait time, it's highly recommended that you join the waitlist and choose an arrival time before heading to the restaurant. A quick word of warning, however: This tip doesn't apply to parties of seven or more people. If your party is larger, you should call your local Outback Steakhouse with advance notice to ensure they can accommodate your needs.

Everyone else can either join the waitlist through their mobile apps or online. You'll need to select how many people are in your party and choose a desired arrival time. Times are available in 15-minute intervals. Then, you'll input some basic identifying information. There's also room for you to select a special occasion like a birthday, anniversary, or graduation.

Even if you don't join the waitlist, you can still get an idea of how busy your preferred location is through the website. Simply click on the location name in the top right corner of your screen. A small pop-up will appear, which tells you the estimated wait time.

Outback Steakhouse has a generous menu full of delicious dishes that are sure to satisfy, but not every option can be a hit. To ensure the best experience possible, it helps to avoid the dishes you should never order at Outback Steakhouse — whether that's because they're obscenely unhealthy, poorly reviewed, or just not up to par with what other chains offer.

For example, you should avoid the Chicken Tender Platter as it contains more than a full day's recommended sodium intake, plus it's not a great value for the price. The Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp is overly sweet, served with a sauce that makes it even sweeter. Then there's the Tasmanian Chili, which has an unappealingly spicy flavor profile, no beans, and should generally be avoided if you want to have a good experience. Oh, and you should also avoid the Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie, as it's one of the most overrated chain restaurant appetizers with a price point too high for what you get.

Like most other eateries, Outback Steakhouse regularly runs specials and promotions that can either help you save money or expand your potential menu options. For example, one location in Mays Landing, New Jersey, runs a special for specific three-course meals starting at just $14.99. It also had a "Tuesday Tails" special featuring a $24.99 lobster tail with sirloin, and a "Walkabout Wednesdays" special featuring select items with a drink for only $13.99.These are just examples of the types of promotions that you may encounter, but are in no way a guarantee that they are currently (or ever) running at your location. To find out what specials are running in your store, you can ask your waiter, call ahead, or check the website.

There are also frequent drink specials. What's so fun about this is that they don't just save you money, but sometimes they feature cute little toys floating in them. For example, some stores feature a Koala Punch or Koala Berry Lemonade special with little koala bear toys floating in them. Around the holidays, Outback offers a Gingerbread Cookie Martini featuring a little stuffed koala in a Christmas hat hanging onto the glass stem. And, yes, you can take these little toys home with you.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adults should have less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium per day. Some people, including those with heart conditions, need to limit their salt intake even further. If you're watching your sodium for any reason at all, you need to be extra careful about what you order at Outback Steakhouse.

Many of the dishes at this Aussie-themed restaurant contain at least double your daily recommended sodium content, and all in a single meal. The Aussie Cheese Fries are the biggest culprit, containing an unbelievable 29,310 milligrams of sodium according to Outback's nutrition information. This is followed by other items like the Bloomin' Fried Shrimp with 5,790 milligrams of sodium, and the Bloomin' Onion with 4,870 milligrams of sodium. The French Onion Soup and Kookaburra Wings should also be avoided, with sodium levels over 4,000 milligrams each.

Being careful with your sodium doesn't mean you can't eat at Outback Steakhouse at all, however. There are a few items with less than 500 milligrams of sodium each that you could order instead. Examples of these foods include the Outback Center Cut Sirloin, house side salad (without dressing), asparagus, broccoli, and loaded sweet potato. You can also ask for your steaks and most other items to come without seasoning, which will reduce sodium totals significantly.

If you eat a gluten-free diet, you're likely already familiar with how hard it is to find somewhere to eat when dining out. The good news is that Outback Steakhouse offers gluten-friendly dishes, but you should be aware that nothing is certified gluten-free. Although the chain provides gluten-friendly education to all of its employees, there's always a small risk of cross-contamination because it is a commercial kitchen. This risk is reduced thanks to the protocol Outback employees follow when a gluten-friendly menu item is ordered, which includes washing surfaces, changing gloves, and using fresh utensils.

A gluten-friendly menu can be pulled up online, highlighting a rather expansive list of options for those needing to (or choosing to) follow this diet. There are, of course, a wide variety of steak options, which can be paired with sides like homestyle mashed potatoes, baked potato, sweet potato, asparagus, or wedge salad. There's even a dessert option called the Thunder From Down Under, which features a gluten-free pecan brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings, and whipped cream.

"No rules, just right" is the Outback Steakhouse slogan, and if you're a little confused as to what that means, no worries, one Reddit user is here to explain. "No rules, just right — you can order off menu items. Most of the time you will be accommodated. That's how it's worked for the last 12 years for us. If we no longer have the ingredients or carry the specific item, we can come really close." So, if you've been hesitating to order that secret menu item, now you should feel emboldened to go for it.

Every restaurant has a secret menu, containing things that can technically be made in the restaurant but aren't officially on the menu. There are a few options you might want to indulge in from the Outback Steakhouse secret menu. Just a few examples include Aussie Chili Cheese Fries, Chili Cheese Baked Potato, and a Bloomin' Shrimp Rice Bowl. But, it's important to note that these accommodations don't always come free. Depending on what you're ordering, the alterations may mean some added cost.