Fine Dining - Outback Steakhouse: "No Rules, Just Right," Survivor, & Bloomin' Onion Perfection

Episode Date: November 5, 2025

🥩🦘🍺 Outback Steakhouse: "No Rules, Just Right," Survivor, & Bloomin' Onion Perfection 🍺🦘🥩 This week, I'm joined by VyVy Nguyen (@cest_la_vyvy) to explore the not-so-Australian history of Outback Steakhouse, the restaurant that proves authenticity is optional when the vibes are right. From a "No Rules, Just Right" slogan that's maybe a little too spicy, to Survivor contestants earning an Outback feast as a reward, we dive deep into the steakhouse that brought the Outback to America (without ever visiting Australia). Plus, I announce the winner of the Septemburger 2025 drawing and debut a brand-new theme song to kick off the Bridge Season between Seasons 3 and 4! 🥩 Is Outback the Best Chain Restaurant of Them All? 🍽️ The Four Founders Who'd Never Been to Australia 🧅 The Birth of the Bloomin' Onion: A Golden Fried Masterpiece 🦘 Is it Okay to Get Naked in an Outback Steakhouse? 🔥 The U.K. Rejects Outback 📺 The Iconic Survivor Episode Featuring an Outback Feast 🪩 A Yelper Brings up "Trauma Bonding" 🏆 Announcing the Winner of the Septemburger 2025 Drawing 💬 COMMENT BELOW: What's your go-to order at Outback Steakhouse? 📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: 🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, full Yelp segments & more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast 💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4 🎥 Watch full episodes: youtube.com/@finediningpodcast 🔗 All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast 🎤 Guest: VyVy Nguyen | IG: @cest_la_vyvy Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van Patreon Subscribers: David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, & Travis Langley Free Patreon Followers: Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, & Aaron Hubbard 👉 NEXT WEEK: We cover the history of Buffalo Wild Wings GO with Shannon Bengston — diving into the delivery-focused spin-off of a sports bar classic!

Is Outback Steakhouse the perfect chain restaurant? Paying homage to Australia, the great down-under, Outback Steakhouse comes to us by way of America's Australia, Florida. With a completely American menu and stereotypical Australian decor on the walls, Outback proves that cultural accuracy doesn't really matter when you just want to have a good time. With a slogan that implies that anything goes, Outback is such a casual party atmosphere that I've had not one, but three, of my birthdays there. It's just a byproduct of having created the perfect appetizer. That's right.

The bloomin onion with its 17-spice blend speaks to my soul in a way that most people would turn to religion to experience. And their complimentary sweet honey bushman bread ain't too shabby either. Today on the podcast, I'll dip my onion petals of knowledge directly into your deep friar of curiosity before turning to the people of Yelp to hear what they have to say about Outback Steakhouse. tuned. This is the Fine Dining Podcast. Your table is ready. Take your seat. The flavor of the day is mediate to try a five. Okay, everyone, I made a mistake in one of my episodes, and I want to own up to it. For the McDonald's Monopoly episode, I announced which pieces were extra rare and which

pieces were common in each set, and I messed up on five of them, which I am tremendously embarrassed about. So I want to apologize and let you all know if you're still chasing monopoly pieces at McDonald's. The rare one in the brown set is Mediterranean, not Baltic. In the red set, it's Kentucky, not Illinois. In the orange set, it's Tennessee, not New York. In the light blue set, it's Vermont, not Connecticut. And in the yellow set, it's Ventnor Avenue, not Marvin Gardens. I'm genuinely mortified. I do not want to make any. claims that are false in my episodes. So I wanted to own up to it and put it in this episode. I apologize if you were listening to my episode and got excited because you thought you had the

rare one. That was never my intention. But I wanted to own up to it and apologize and do better and make sure that like I am double triple checking my eat deeds moving forward because my credibility is important to me. My mouth is full of saliva now after you talked about the Lemon onion. Which is great for podcasting. Slobber, slobber. But it is so good. So good.

It's so good. Hello and welcome to the fine dining podcast, the quest to compare all restaurants to Chili's. I am your host, Michael Ornellis, and welcome to the bridge season. Bridging the gap between the end of season three and the premiere of season four, this is season three point five. Ooh. Right? And what goes in a bridge season?

well, I'm so glad you asked. It's all about bridging gaps. The first few episodes of the podcast back in 2022 had no mention of the chain's history, so I'm here to write those wrongs. So over the next few weeks, we're going to learn about Buffalo Wild Wings, the old spaghetti factory, and islands, fine burgers, and drinks. But today we're going into my favorite chain restaurant, Outback Steakhouse. And joining me for it is my favorite podcast guest.

Now a fine dining four-timer, she was there when we found the most mediocre, restaurant in America to be Chili's. She's one of my good friends, and she puts the boomer in boomerang. It's Vivi Nguyen. What? What does that mean? I don't know. I just wanted to stick something Australian in there.

Oh, I was like, I'm not a boomer. I'm aging you up 30 years. Yeah, I just look really good. Asian don't raisin. Yeah, and like your mastery of technology is like boomer adjacent. Oh my gosh. I'm kidding. I don't know.

I'm pretty good. This isn't real. Oh, yeah. Okay. All right. I just wanted some. There are only so many words inside of Boomerang. Rang.

Yeah, that makes no sense. You rang and I came. Stupid. Thanks for coming back. You're welcome. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. I'm excited four times.

Wow. Four times. And look at the setup. Every time I'm here, the setup is different. Yeah, I guess so. There's a, I'm not on the couch anymore. This is a chair. You have a designated chair.

comfy chair. chair. Yeah. I like it. Vivi, do you have a history with Outback Steakhouse? I mean, yes. How can you not eat the bloomin onion? I know people that are like, I've never had a bloom and onion. And I do think their life is incomplete. Yeah. But you're missing something in life. Have you gone a lot? No, I don't go a lot because there aren't a lot of them around. It is also like, it feels heavy to go to an outback. Yes. Like there's a certain headspace. Do you have to be in the mood to go to outback? You need to be prepared.

Yeah. Or be having a birthday. Or be having a birthday. Three birthdays. Three out of 37. And I almost did it again this year. Oh, what stopped you? The prospect of going to my 10 out of 10 restaurant, cheese baka.

Oh. I went to the place that is the best restaurant I've ever been to. And I did end up choosing that over Outback. But Outback was. I'm sure it was tight. Tider than you'd expect. Yeah. I love Outback. I'm sure also the Bill would have been.

kind of joke. They were not comparable. Yeah, exactly. For sure. Okay, so that's your history without back. It's my history without back. I feel like my listeners have waited like, I don't even know how many like weekly releases I've done.

I know I do the two-part episode thing, but I think I'm around 150. It's been 150 releases. Oh my gosh. Before they're getting the history of my first release. Oh, these listeners have been waiting. Spoiled. Today they are going to be.

be, we're going to head into this week's Eat Deets. Eatery Details. Outback Steakhouse was born on March 15th, 1988, when four friends, Chris Sullivan, Bob Basham, Tim Gannon, and Trudy Cooper opened the first location in Tampa, Florida. They built the concept around an Australian Outback theme capitalizing on America's late 80s fascination with Aussie culture like Crocodile Dundee. Ironically, none of the founders of Outback are Australian or had even visited Austin. Australia while developing the idea.

They deliberately kept the theme light and fun rather than strictly authentic, figuring U.S. customers would prefer a cheeky Aussie atmosphere, in quotes, over anything too unfamiliar. The result was a casual steakhouse with a friendly, no worries, Aussie spirit that quickly struck a chord with American diners. I like that you phrase that it was born. Because that's how I feel. I feel like it was a gift brought into this world.

Right. For non-Australians. Like, here's the thing. The Australian theming is kind of the last thing I think about without back. Like, despite the name, me going there isn't because it's Australian vibe. It's just they have food that I like. Oh, I crave the Australian vibe. Putting the boomer and boomerang.

Yeah, exactly. Or like a didgeridoo on the wall or Uluru, like the big rock. I just want to feel like I'm there. The authenticity. You get transported to a time and place. I've actually never been to Australia, so. You're going to say Outback. I was like, you told me you had.

But I do find it interesting that it's like, it has the same level of authenticity as Crocodile Dundee. Yeah, fair. I feel like it's like when you get your caricature done, that's what this restaurant is to Australia. Yeah, everything's big and exaggerated and you're okay with that. Yeah. And it's just like, I think you're being. to me. But I'm paying you for it.

You're seeing things I didn't want other people to see. Yeah. And that's all that's front and center. Yeah. Have we asked any Australians if they're okay with Outback Steakhouse? We have not. Moving on. Outback's most famous claim to fame is the Blumen Onion, a colossal deep-fried

onion appetizer sliced to blossom like a flour, served with a zesty dipping sauce. Co-founder Tim Gannon developed this indulgent creation. around 1988, and it was an instant hit. Today, roughly one in every four Outback appetizer orders is a Blumen Onion. Over the years, Outback has sold tens of millions of them. They served about 40 million Blooming Onions just from 2012 to 2015. Oh, my God. Onion Massacre.

I think it was like the Mayan apocalypse wasn't correct, and people were like, well, we're still here. Let's celebrate. Onions. Although I'm surprised you said one out of four appetites. Which seems low. Yeah, I would have thought 50%. Their cheese fries are also very popular.

I didn't even know they had cheese fries. On the first episode, I remember a story from a former Outback server who talked about a guy who came in and just ordered five orders of cheese fries, ate them there with his girlfriend and then didn't tip. Yeah. Oh, you're a bad person. Yeah. But yeah, Blumen Onion. I feel like that's all they need to put on the appetizer. menu. I think so too. And they'd be good. It is so much though. Yeah, but but it's so good. It's so good. Oh, saliva.

It is, it is my 10 out of, well, 10 even is a spectrum for me. Like, you know, I've given multiple things. I've scored multiple appetizers at 10 out of 10. That doesn't mean they're all equal. Like I would say the bloom and onion is the best 10 out of 10 appetizer. Oh, that is high praise. Yeah. So I think it's just the best food. I think the bloomin onion is the best food ever made. Would you eat that every day? No, I would not have very many days left. I don't know. What days they would be? What do you think is a better food?

I, no, I can't contest it. Right? Yeah. I love it. It's perfect. Outback, thank you. Thank you, Outback. The Outback concept. on fast. By 1991, just three years after the first restaurant opened, the company had 49 Outback

Steakhouse locations and made its stock market debut. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Outback spread across the United States and beyond. It opened restaurants in Canada, its first foray abroad in the mid-90s, and later expanded into Asia, Latin America, and even Australia itself. At its peak, the chain grew to her presence in 20 plus countries, making it one of the world's largest casual steakhouse brands. It broke into Australia. I know. How is it doing in Australia? It's seen as a novelty and it's very much an American restaurant.

Okay. Yeah, I do have a little bit more about the specifics of the Australian offerings. Okay. And like how they phrase things on the menu differently. Oh. Yeah, I'll get to it. Okay. Not every expansion was a home run.

Outback tried the U.S. market for a while but ended up closing all its British locations by 2011. Yet the brand still enjoys a footprint from Brazil to South Korea. And yes, a handful of restaurants down under in Australia as well. UK didn't like them. UK, have you eaten British food? Yeah. So like, who are they to judge?

It just reminds them of all the criminals they sent down there. And they're like kind of mad that they make better food than them. Yeah, yeah. You're like, oh, you did a better job. Yeah. Like our flag is like in your flag and even, even still, you outdo us in so many ways. So we're shutting down all your Outbacks. And then they're just like, what the hell?

That's an American thing. That, yeah. Yeah. That's also bitterness against us. Yeah. How dare you. We left. We did.

An ex scorned is the UK. Outback's marketing has leaned heavily into its fun Aussie persona. The long running slogan, no rules just right, delivered in a. faux-auzy accent, became familiar to American audiences and underscored the chains laid back, have it your way, vibe. Burger King. Outback hasn't shied away from big promotional tie-ins. For years, Outback was the title sponsor of college football's Outback Bowl on New Year's Day,

and it even popped up in reality TV lore when Survivor contestants were treated to an Outback steakhouse feast as a reward in one season. I tracked down the clip, and the challenge was kind of brutal. It involved having to, like, hold yourself up. up between two walls with smaller and smaller footholds. Okay. Each round. The worst part of it, though, there was no blooming onion as part of the reward feast.

Oh, no, because it's too many calories. You're going to get too much from it because those people are so hungry over the course of the show. But it was like, it was a team thing. So it's not like one person. It was like five people won the feast. They could have shared it. He could have shared it. But it was like a loaded baked potato.

It was a steak, which I don't know. I'm not going out back for the steak. I know steakhouse is in the name, but I got. go for their burgers. Yeah, definitely. And like their ribs are decent too. So it's like, I don't know. They wanted to put coverage on their other menu items because they're like, we're good with the Blumen Onion. Right. Right. Doesn't need to be on Survivor. Yeah, but like it's the thing you're known for. And to have like a big prime time reality show feature you. Yeah. And you don't even remind the world of the Blumen Onion. That's true because I'm sure some people have been like,

I need to get that now. Dropped ball. Mm-hmm. Yeah. The success of Outback Steakhouse spawned a whole family of restaurants under its corporate umbrella. During the 90s, the founders branched out by co-founding or acquiring other concepts. For example, they launched Carrabba's Italian Grill in 1993 and later added upscale spots like Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar and casual eateries like Bonefish Grill to the roster. An Outback Joint.

An Outback Joint. It's like Spike Lee. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, except I don't associate those at all. No. I'm not like, oh, I need to try your other restaurants. Yeah, and I'm sure they're different providers, like of food.

Oh, sure. Like they're not sourcing from the same places, I imagine. That would be funny. Yeah. We're just repurposing our onions here and our. Well, I noticed while reading Yelp, someone was like, it's no Fleming's. And I was like, it kind of is. Okay.

I mean, Fleming's is the upscale version. They are going to have better, fresher ingredients. But again, I'm not going out back for steak. I'm going out back for the boygies. For the boygies and that down under vibe. Oh, look at you and your Australian accent. I can only say down under. Oh, down under.

I can only say like Kuala. Oh, like a koala. Yeah, yeah, like a koala bear. Is that like a cooler? Coola. No, yeah, Kuala. I feel like I say that okay. Australian.

Australian? Oh, God. No, this is bad. I can do a really good part of the act. I'm leaving this all in. Oh, yeah. Give me the Australian National Anthem Whatever you think it is

No, no, we're not doing that Oh, say, can you? I mean, I'll do the American Honestly, for Outback, that's the most appropriate thing to do. The American National Anthem with a bad Australian accent. It didn't sound that bad though, to be honest.

Why the Rockets red glare Now it's Cockney Agree to disagree. I think I nailed that. The parent company, known then as Outback Steakhouse, Inc., went on a buying spree, even dabbling in eclectic ventures like a Polynesian-themed fine dining chain, Roy's, and a southern barbecue sport bar, Leroy Selmans. In 2006, a group including Outback's founders teamed up with Bain Capital to take the company private in a $3 billion-dollar-plus buyout, cheekly naming the holding entity, Kangaroo Holdings, in keeping with the Aussie. But a few years later, in 2012, the company returned to the stock market under a new name, Blumen Brands. Oh.

A tribute to the Outbacks, famed Blumen Onion and a signal that the one-store Tampa startup had grown into a multi-concept dining empire. It's a metaphor. How beautiful. Yeah. It literally bloomed from the onion. From a bud, I guess, is what it came from a seed. Yeah. That's what grows.

Yeah. Yeah. onions. Seed becomes a flower which blooms and... Keep going. Tell me more about how plants grow. And then dies and more seeds fall and then the cycle begins anew. Photosynthesis, I don't know.

You get your energy from the sun. You convert the sun into the carbon that they need. Yeah. Dioxide. Carbon dioxide. Well, that's the waste product. Yeah. No.

No. Their waste product is oxygen. Our waste product, yes. No, okay, this is terrible. This is a science podcast now. Don't do it. Don't put it. Don't put it in. Don't put it in. Our waste product is carbon dioxide. No, our waste product is poop.

That too. Despite all the Aussie trappings from menu items like Cucaburroo wings to walls decorated with boomerings, real Australians have always known Outback Steakhouse is about as authentic to their cuisine as Crocodile Dundee is to their culture. The founders themselves have openly said the menu was Australian-inspired, but created for American tastes, with Aussie names slapped on mostly American dishes. This has led many Australians to view the chain with amusement and sometimes mild horror at the culinary liberties taken. Case in point, Aussies don't actually eat bloomin onions, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone down under who says Blumen as an adjective.

That was an outback invention. Although, like, they say Brecky. Like, let's not act like they're above weird or cutesy abbreviations or short name. I don't think that's their argument. I think they're just saying they don't say bloomin. Yet. Hmm. Although cuckaburowings is a crazy name for an item.

Apparently, they're very good. Really? I've never had them. Have you ever seen a cuckabra? No. They're very small, first off. Uh-huh. And I wouldn't be like, I want to eat that thing.

It's just like a cute bird that sings. Hmm. Yeah. I think it's just. I don't think they're actually implying that you're eating cucabura the animal's wings. Are you sure? Because that's what I think when I hear that. Look, I'm going to be honest.

I didn't know that was a bird. Really? What did you think it was? I knew it was an Australian animal. I didn't know it was a bird. Oh, tell me what you thought it was. I, like a wallaby. With wings?

Yeah, I didn't know it had wings. Okay. Like, to me, it's like the equivalent of naming it like kangaroo wings where it's like, yeah. Oh, it's just very, take a silly Australian. And like not necessarily a winged one. Okay. Although a wombat wings. Oh.

Got alliteration there. That's kind of cute. But wouldn't have wings. But outback restaurants that operate in Australia make a point of dropping the fake Aussie slang on their menus. You won't see shrimp on the Barbie. They use the word prawns instead of shrimp. So that's what's on their menu.

Interestingly, the Australian outbacks even serve some local style items. US patrons don't get like lamb chops and a big bugger burger top. with beetroot, though they still serve the classic Blumen Onion down there, too. As they should. As they should. Australian diners generally realize the whole concept as a tongue-and-cheek caricature of their culture. Got it. Otherwise, it would be just like, it would read as like a very like nationalist restaurant.

Yeah. Like it's just like America burger restaurant. We do. I feel like we do. Yeah, but not so overtly. Yeah. In 2024, Outback was hit with a proposed classic. action, accusing it of deceptive advertising.

A customer claimed that menu items like woodfire grilled steaks and grilled shrimp on the Barbie were marketed as if cooked over an outdoor grill when in reality they were made with standard kitchen equipment. In essence, she argued the food wasn't literally cooked on the Barbie as the menu implied. I think that's crazy. Well, people are very litigious. I know, but it's like, yeah, it is kind of false advertising. I get that.

But what expectation did you have? It's not like they have like a grill smoke pit outside. That would be cool, though. It would be. But like, we know what the deal is. Let them. Maybe they didn't. Let them theme.

Let them theme. They wanted more theming. They wanted Barbies. Where is the grill? Why is it inside? That's perfect. Wow. Wow.

Look at that mashup. Right. I think you're so used to outback that you know what you're getting into, but I could see how someone would be a little upset that it's not... I can't believe you're taking their side. I'm not necessarily... I don't think they should have sued, but... Oh, wow, you're really upset.

I was just trying to see where they're coming from. Open your mind. Guess you're an actor. It's your job to get into the mind of, like, even the most sinister of people like this individual. Oh, you pointed at the camera. I was like, I was like, me? No, the person who's like suing them and getting a class action.

They're like, they're riling up a fan base. I wonder how many people they got. I don't think it went anywhere. It's dumb, according to Michael. It is. Outback's growth wasn't limited to its own brand. It even teamed up with musician Jimmy Buffett to bring one of his island-themed visions to life. In 2002, Buffett partners with Outback's then parent company,

OSI Restaurant Partners, to launch Cheeseburger in Paradise, a tropical bar and grill chain named after his famous song. Buffett lent his laid-back Margaritaville Flair and licensed the song name, his image and recipes, while OSI handled the operations. Buffett even earned a royalty on sales. The chain grew to nearly 40 locations at its height, but over time its momentum fizzled. Buffett sold his stake to Outback's company in 2005, and by 2012, the brand was sold off to another operator. Ultimately, Cheeseburger and Paradise couldn't sustain its early success. The last location closed in 2020, but it remains a noteworthy chapter where Outback's founders showed their willingness to experiment beyond steak and bloom and onions. RIP. Yeah. I did an episode on

Cheesburger and Paradise, but it wasn't that one. Like it was a different lineage and they have been sued by Jimmy Buffett for trying to expand into mainland United States. I was going to say, Because when you said they closed in 2020, I was like, wait, you definitely went there after. Yeah. So there were a couple left. And then the Lahaina Fire in 2021 or whatever. Yeah. Took down one of the two remaining cheeseburg and paradise.

And so the one in Waikiki in Honolulu is the, I think, the last remaining one. And that's the one I did for the podcast. Okay. Yeah. And you were there for the marathon? Yeah. No big deal. No big deal.

No big deal. I did run a marathon. It sucked. And by the way, and I ate that meal the day after. So it was like I was so sore and like. Oh, so you didn't enjoy it? What, running a marathon? No, no, no, no.

The burger. Cheeseburg. Well, we don't do cheese. It was fine. I was physically uncomfortable. The dining experience went how the dining experience was always going to go. Like, I'm not going to let sore calves get in the way of my taste buds. Imagine my sore calves.

I shall not go today. Yeah. It was whatever. I wanted it to be better. Well, we always do. Okay. Today, Outback Steakhouse is a stalwart of the American casual dining scene, even as that sector has ebbed and flowed. The chain, now under the Blumen Brands banner, operates roughly 1,300 restaurants worldwide, including about 700 in the U.S., and rings up over $4 billion in annual revenue.

In recent years, Outback has navigated challenges familiar to many mid-tier restaurant brands in early 2020. its parent company even decided to shutter 41 underperforming locations, many of them older sites from the 90s, as part of a strategic refresh. At the same time, the company has been investing in growth and revamping its image, pouring money into new restaurants, digital marketing, and even reviving classic slogans like no rules just right to recapture customer attention. An activist investor, Starboard Value, took a notable stake in Blumen Brands in 2023, signaling confidence that there's still plenty of upside for Outback if tweaks are made. After nearly 37 years, the brand that started as a quirky Aussie-themed steakhouse in Tampa

is still going strong. It remains hugely popular for its hearty steaks, famous bloomin onions, and casual down-under charm, maintaining a loyal fan base and a prominent place in the casual dining landscape as it moves further into the 2020s. No rules just right. That's what I was going to mention. I love that slogan. It's kind of orgy energy. I was going to say it's a little bit intense. Yeah.

No rules. No rules. Do what you want in an outback steakhouse. You want to order five orders of cheese fries? Do that. And not tip. Do that. You want to turn off the lights and get naked in an outback steakhouse?

There's no rules. Yeah. You can. Should you? One of my three birthdays maybe went that way. Oh, ho. Oh, I was going to ask. Which one was the best one?

33. Oh. What made it so good? Because before then we also went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. So there's a day of riding roller coasters and then outback. That does sound like a good day. That's a fun day. But yeah, no rules.

That's insane. Why would you say that as a restaurant? Yeah, they can't kick you out for anything legally. Otherwise, it's false advertising and I'll sue them. But you can because no rules. No rules. Sue us. It's okay.

And that'll do it. For this week's Eat Deeks. All right, everyone, we are officially in the bridge season, which means season three has concluded, which means I will finally reveal the results of who won the bracket competition for the September 2021 tournament. I had 11 eligible brackets of people who picked Wendy's to win the whole thing. I said that all you needed to do was pick the whole thing. the winner correctly, not have a full bracket to be eligible to be put in this drawing.

I did that because in year one and year two of September, I had spoilers make it to the finals. I didn't expect A&W to make it this far this year. I didn't expect Culver's to lose in the first round last year. There was just always something preventing me from having someone go all the way, going seven for seven on all of their picks. So I wanted to make the barrier to being a winner lowered. What ended up happening this year is despite that, I did have one person get all seven answers correct. So I'm going to announce two winners to the September Ger tournament.

One is Craig Majors, who got a fully correct bracket. Congratulations, Craig. Not a lot of people saw A&W going as far as it did, but you got Wendy's in the end against A&W. So I will be reaching out to you. I know that you put some suggestions of where you want to see me go in season four, but I will follow up with you and confirm. But I'm going to add a second winner to that because I did say everyone who got the winner

correct would be put into a drawing. So I'm putting all of your names on a wheel and I'm spinning it. And the winner is Dusty Pulliam. So Dusty, I will also be reaching out to you and you can pick a place that I will go in season four, and on top of that, both of you will have little rap songs written about you or a chain restaurant or food-related thing of your choice. Choose wisely and congrats to both of you. Thanks for playing. I will see the rest of you for the final Septemberger in 2026. Okay, that's the history about Back, but what do other people think of the Outback Steakhouse I went to in the very first

episode of the podcast. We can find out imminently as we jump into this week's Yelp from Strangers. We need a little yelp, a little yelp, a little yelp from strangers. A one star, two star, three star four or bye, aye. So get a little yelp, strangers. A little yelp, a little yelp. Give us those complaints while you literally white. All right, this is Yelp from strangers, our segment where we turn to Yelp and read out our favorite.

One, two, three, oh, four, two. Reviews, star reviews of the very outback that I went to in the first episode of the show. Do you mind if I started out with the first one? I mind. Great, I'm going to do it anyways. Four-timers club, I don't have to be nice anymore. Dang. Four-star review.

This is a four-star review from Randall See, from East Hollywood. Hollywood, California, January 6th, 2024. Hey guys, it's Randall. Is that what he sounds like? Love that start. Love that start. Yeah, as if the ID didn't already tell you it was Randall. He has to.

He has to let you know. He's friendly. Recently, I took a trip with my good friends to this famous Burbank Outback Steakhouse. Is it famous? I don't think so. And believe it or not, the evening was definitely down under my standard. standards. Ha, ha. I kid, but seriously. This guy. I have never had a more flavorless Shirley Temple than that December evening.

And the beverage distress didn't stop there. My pecan old fashioned was missing its pecan. Or pecan. Or I would say, well, that's up to me to pronounce it. Do you say pecan? I don't, but I was just giving it the option. Yeah, yeah. Just want to see where you're at. I felt like a kangaroo without its plums.

What? I don't think kangaroos notoriously have plums. It might be balls. Now that I think about it, I'm still waiting for my A1 sauce. And the broccoli? Practically baby food. I was left asking myself, is the chef okay? Thankfully, I still had a smashing evening.

Thanks to good friends and the vaguely unfriendly ambience. I hope to go again soon. This is Randy Cheese, signing off. Wait, he was rand. and now he's Randy Cheese? Randy Cheese. Why didn't he keep it consistent? What a kid?

Well, Randy is short for Randall. They're the same name. I know, but why didn't he open with, hey, everybody, it's Randy Cheese? Well, I think it's like, here's my government name, but now that you get to know me, now we're friends. Oh, over the course of that journey. There was an arc. We're friends now. Yeah.

Okay. Wow. What did he write it? Four. He gave it a four? He gave it a four. That's pretty high. It sounded like he was being pretty negative. Yeah.

Yeah, vaguely unfriendly ambience was a plus for him. Yeah. Yeah. And he said the companionship, his friends were like the plus, which he brought. Right. So. But, you know. I didn't really hear much positive feedback about the restaurant.

But okay, if he wants to give it four, that's fine. I'd always bums me out when I see reviews and it's like, one star. They delivered my food five minutes late, but everything else was amazing. And I'm like, what are your standards? One star. Yeah. Okay. Well, four.

All right. Randy cheese. Randy cheese. If that is your real name. I think it's not. I think it's not. I suspect it isn't. Yeah.

I want to know the story behind that nickname now. I don't. It's cheese adjacent. Don't need to know. You don't bleep it anymore, though. I don't believe. I've grown as a human being. Yeah.

You've evolved. I let people have their free speech. Cheese, cheese, cheese. I don't like it either, but now we can say it. My tolerance for hearing cheese is high. Yeah, yeah. Eating. Cheese is different.

Very low. Very low. Much lower than mine. Yeah. Although you pick it off of pizza and I don't. Yeah. So. God, you're turning them against me.

No, I need a companion. I'm drowning down here. That's true. That's true. Yeah, it comes up all the time and you still talk about it. So it's not like you shy away from it. This is my curse. One Star Review.

Madeline C. One Star, March 27th, 2022. I usually don't write poor reviews, but I feel like. I think I've recently trauma bonded with this outback steakhouse. So I have to to at least write and processed WTF just happened. I love invoking the word trauma bonding in your Yelp review. Yeah, she did it. Let's see what happened.

The moment we were sat down at our table, we were overwhelmed by spine-chilling aroma that certainly wasn't coming from the food. It can only best be described as a music festival port-a-pottie left to brew in the heat of the summer. No, thank you. It was so bad, it almost felt like an ethical violation, a war crime that violates the Geneva Conventions. It was a scent that's almost hallucinatory. I felt my senses kick into fight or flight, and I just felt like I needed to escape. This is a picture. We were asking. Which I don't want when it's of like a festival porta potty. No, definitely not. No, I don't want that anywhere near my food. Oh, I'm, oh, gag reflex. Oh, I'm just saying, I don't need her to be this descriptive. Just be like, Bathrooms are stinky. One star. But I do like her writing. She's a good writer. I wonder what her job is. I do too.

We were asked if we wanted a free picture of us, but we politely declined, as we didn't want photographic evidence of us experiencing that haunting smell, even for free. Some things in life are best put behind us. All things aside, the staff were kind and attentive. Well. That's good. I'm glad they were nice to her. I will say that was worthy of being one star. I get why you got one star when that's the review.

No, that's horrifying. And like no part of me there is like not like I don't find her ridiculous for her score. No, I definitely. And she painted a beautiful, not a beautiful, horrifying, but very descriptive, well-described picture. Painting with brown. Yeah. I also, it brings back trauma for me because so one of my side jobs in my actor life is I work backstage at award. shows and help there. And my first job at the Emmys, because you start at the bottom of the

totem pole, is I had to help with the bleacher crew. It was like, you know, on the red carpet when the stars arrive, they have bleachers for fans. And they put you on screen so that to show like, oh, people are excited about the Emmys. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the Emmys are always late summer, September-ish. And so for these people, in order to go the bathroom, they don't let you go into the the theater. So they put a porta potty right under the bleachers and that's where they go. But it's hot. High summer. You can smell everything. And that's what this review reminded me of. I hated that job. But I had to work through it so I could get higher up and actually like get to escort celebrities. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought you were going to say you had to like clean me

outhouse. Okay. It wasn't that bad. They didn't make me do that. But I just, the smell was present and burned into my brain. Hate that. Madeline. I hate that. Madeline's brought it all back. Now your trauma bonding with her. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I heard you like Yelp reviews. Well, you can get three more over at my Patreon. That's patreon.com slash fine dining podcast. You can get the full Yelp from Stranger's segment instead of just those two. You can also get an exclusive full episode of the Fine Dining podcast that's only available there. Nowhere else. This month, I will be doing.

the Popeye's Thanksgiving dinner, specifically a full turkey frozen that you can get from Popeyes and take home. They season it for you. All you have to do is cook it. I did that last year and I'm excited to finally release the episode about it. I'll also be doing tastings of exclusive limited time offers at restaurants similar to the How to Train Your Dragon Meal at Burger King or the Wednesday Addams meal at Wendy's, stuff like that. So if there's anything exclusive that you want me to try, well, go try it out. I'll review it there and put it there. This show is supported by listeners like you. So if you've got a little bit to support, I'd always appreciate you go into Patreon and checking that out. And whether or not you do, I love and cherish you regardless.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Thanks so much. Back to the episode. I asked at the very beginning of the episode, is Outback Steakhouse the best chain restaurant? I'm going to be honest, for my preferences, it's my favorite. Why wouldn't you call it the best if it's like I have things higher than it. Like, uh, but that was also, I mean, it was averaged with another person. That's true. That is true. And I don't remember what my individual score was for, but like even still, like, like Gus's world famous fried chicken, I do think is maybe all around better food. But it's also a smaller chain. Like how many locations of Gus's are there?

40, 30 something? Yeah. And then like these are crazy. Yeah, those are high end. Yeah. Like Papadotow is a high end place. Joe's Crab Shack is a little higher and they're in the same tier as Outback. But like genuinely, I think Outback is my favorite chain.

It's a good choice. Do you have a favorite? Ooh, I don't know if I've ever thought about this. I don't go to Outback enough, I think, to call it my favorite, but I always enjoy when I'm there. Yeah. Favorite chain. Gosh, this is tough. I really do love Olive Garden. Really? Yeah, I know. Yeah, Italian food I just struggle with with chains. Like, I always find mom and pop restaurants better.

Of course. It's different. I think when you're getting like American fare, even if it's dressed up as Australian, that is where chain restaurants shine. So, yeah, I don't know. And like, there's plenty of Italian chains. I like better. Like I think macaroni grill is better. I think Bucca de Beppo is better than Olive Garden. I think Maggiano's is better than... I mean, those are a little more fancy, I think, whereas I feel like Olive Garden is just accessible for the people. And when you're here...

You're familia. Yeah. Don't do that. I don't even know how to say it because there's a G&S. I don't know how to speak Italian. Vivi, thanks so much for coming on and joining me again for the bridge season. Bridge. And talking the history of Outback with me.

how he gets me back. He doesn't want me in any more regular episodes. He just wants me part-time. Well, like, it's just eating with you is always such a chore. He doesn't want to feed me. Yeah. He's like, God, this woman. Her appetite is crazy. No, genuinely, I was going to say, like, when we turn this off, we should go to Outback sometimes. Oh, we should. No, I'm totally doubt. I'm totally down. I love Outback. Do you want to tell people where they can follow you on the internet? am on Instagram as Sayla V-V-V-E-C-E-S-T underscore L-A-U-Y-V-Y. That's my handle. And you can follow me on Instagram and TikTok at Fine Dining Podcast on Blue Sky, find diningpodcast.

B-Sky dot social. And you can talk to me on Discord. You can just come chat with me and react to episodes and tell me that I'm dumb. No, don't do that. Tell me what chain, come to my Discord to tell me what chain you think is better than outback steakhouse. Genuinely, I want to know. He's probably been to it.

And if not, it's probably on my list. There you go. I have a list of hopeful restaurants to cover and it's pretty exhaustive. Oh. Like, what's crazy is just how many chains I still have. That's good. Like, I've been to over 100 and I still have so many. You're going to need to make a bigger board.

No, I just need to score more harshly. Oh, so you're just going to skew out that bottom end. Just find a bunch of bad chains. Yeah. Oh, I mean, this year, I feel like I've gotten a lot. that have filled out that bottom end. But even still, I need more. Great.

Well, I also have a Patreon. If you want exclusive episodes, extended Yelp from Stranger segments, I do a full episode every single month. And for this month, the month of November, I will be dropping an episode about the Popeye's Thanksgiving turkey

that you can buy, take home and prep at home. Ooh, yeah. So. Or maybe not. Is it supposed to be good? Is it? Do people like it?

I already did it. This is literally I recorded it last year for this. years Thanksgiving. Because I got sick and couldn't go home and I was able to find one before they sold out. Oh my gosh. How hard was it to get? I had to call like a dozen stores. Yeah. Wow. But yeah. Anyways, that is another one in the books. We will be back next week. But Veevi said she's not coming back. So next week, I am actually going to go to Buffalo Wild Wings Go and give you an actual Eat Eat's episode followed by a review episode because they have a fast casual

Buffalo Wild Wing spin off much like they do Hoot's Wings, which you went to with me. And that I will have a different guest, but you'll be back after that to cover the old spaghetti factory with me. Yeah. Actually, I said I didn't want to be back so it's fine. It really is genuinely like I just won't take you to the meal. I know. I feel real shortchanged right now. No food. No food. We'll go to Outback soon. It'll be fun. Okay. Yeah. Awesome.

Thanks for joining. I will see you next week. Have a fine day. Well, there's another one in the folks. We judge the service up to the cooks. And while we may have gotten a couple of dirty love, no, the journey can never stop that from the bottom. And that's because chillies do.

Next a week and next a week, baby.