Outback Steakhouse plans new Bradenton-area restaurant. It’s coming to a growth hotspot

Outback Steakhouse, the Australian-themed restaurant chain with the motto “No rules. Just right,” is planning its third Bradenton-area restaurant.

Outback Steakhouse of Florida LLC recently filed paperwork with Manatee County Development Services for the construction of a new Outback Steakhouse restaurant at 12245 State Road 70 E., east of Lorraine Road.

The new restaurant is planned on the north side of State Road 70 in Lakewood Ranch.

Four friends, Chris Sullivan, Robert Basham, Tim Gannon and Trudy Cooper, opened the first Outback Steakhouse in Tampa in March 1988, according to the company webpage.

Their first Bradenton restaurant at 4402 Cortez Road W., was one of the early franchises, opening either in the late 1980s or early 1990s. In 2005, the second Bradenton Outback Steakhouse opened at 4510 State Road 64 E.

“We’re known for high quality, juicy steaks with your choice of big cuts and bold flavor, cooked just the way you like it. Spirited drinks that start the night off right and a heap of craveable dishes and fan favorites like our iconic Bloomin’ Onion,” the company says on its webpage.

Outback offers seven cuts of steak: sirloin, ribeye, New York strip, bone-in ribeye, filet mignon, porterhouse and prime rib.

Outback also offers chicken, seafood, pasta and other dishes.

Part of the Bloomin’ Brands company, Outback’s sister companies include Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Aussie Grill by Outback.

Bloomin’ Brands also has a Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar coming to Manatee County at 8396 Tourist Center Drive. The new restaurant is being built where a Ruby Tuesday’s restaurant once sat.

The Fleming’s Prime Steakhouses closest to Bradenton are at 2001 Siesta Drive, Sarasota, and at 4322 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa.

“Bloomin’ Brands is one of the world’s largest casual dining companies with approximately 87,000 team members and more than 1,450 restaurants worldwide,” according to the company webpage.

Making the Bradenton area especially attractive to restaurateurs is its rapid population growth.

Manatee County grew by 29,420 residents in three years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimate as of July 2, 2022. Since 2010, Manatee County grew by 106,292 residents to a 2022 estimate of 429,125.

Many of the new residents are settling in Lakewood Ranch, bringing with them the income and wealth appealing to businesses of all kinds.

Center Point at Waterside in Lakewood Ranch, a multi-use development on 50 acres at 6516-6600 University Parkway, has nine restaurants either open or planned. The most recent to open was the much anticipated Owen’s Fish Camp.

Among those planned at Center Point is Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. The company is based in Winter Park and has more than 140 company‐owned and franchisee‐owned restaurants. The Ruth’s Chris closest to Bradenton is the one at 6700 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.