41 Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s, Bonefish, Fleming’s restaurants to close across U.S.

Some of your favorite neighborhood restaurants may have recently closed before you even knew it.

Bloomin’ Brands, the parent company to restaurants such as Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Carabba’s Italian Grill and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, has closed 41 restaurant locations across the brands it owns, the company announced Friday in its Q4 2023 earnings report.

“We periodically review our asset base and, in our latest review, we made the decision to close 41 underperforming locations,” said Bloomin’ Brands CEO David Deno, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. “The majority of these restaurants were older assets with leases from the ‘90s and early 2000s.”

Bloomin’ reported net income of $43.3 million in Q4 2023, down from $58 million during the same period in 2022. Bloomin’s revenues in Q4 2023, however, increased to $1.194 billion, compared to $1.095 billion in Q4 2022.

Same-store sales at Bloomin’-owned restaurants decreased by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, the company reported. By restaurant brand, Bonefish Grill saw sales decline by 3% while Outback and Fleming’s had sales drop by 0.3%. Carrabba’s, meanwhile, saw sales increase by 2.6% in the fourth quarter.

A full list of closing restaurants was not released by Bloomin’. Of the 41 closures, 33 restaurants closed Feb. 23, a Bloomin’ spokesperson told NRN. Local reports show Outback restaurants closed in Pennsylvania, Iowa and Hawaii; Bonefish Grill restaurants closed in New Jersey and Virginia; and at least three Carrabba’s locations closed in New York.

“Closing restaurants is never easy,” a spokesperson for Bloomin’ Brands told CNN. “This was a business decision that has no reflection on the staff or their service. Many team members will have the opportunity to transfer to open positions at another restaurant. Employees who do not will receive severance.”

Despite the closure of 41 “underperforming locations,” Bloomin’ Brands said it plans to open as many as 45 restaurants across all of its brands this year, including up to 18 new Outback restaurants.

“This decision considered a variety of factors including sales and traffic-trade areas and the investment that would have to be made to improve the restaurants,” Deno said. “Despite this initiative, our confidence in our portfolio remains high as we plan to open 40 to 45 new restaurants across the system in 2024.”

Bloomin’ Brands has more than 1,450 restaurants throughout 47 states, Guam, and 13 countries, according to the company’s website.

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