By Jeanne Yacoubou, VRG Research Director

Outback Steakhouse® opened its first restaurant in 1988 in Tampa, Florida. Today there are approximately 760 restaurants in most states as well as in other countries. To find a location visit http://www.outback.com/locations

The VRG contacted Outback Steakhouse in March through May 2014. We communicated with two nutritionists by phone and email about vegetarian and vegan menu options. They told us that they had screened menu items “…for eggs, dairy, honey, meat, animal fats, animal rennet, and gelatin.” They did not screen for insect-derived colorings.

According to the Outback Steakhouse dietitians, the following menu items are vegetarian defined as not containing “animal meat, fish, shellfish or animal by-products.” They could contain eggs or dairy.

Vegetarian Options at Outback Steakhouse

• House Bread and Butter

• Steakhouse Salad without Sirloin
• Aussie Cobb Chicken Salad without chicken or bacon
• House Salad
• Fresh Steamed Broccoli with seasoned butter
• Fresh Steamed Mixed Vegetables with seasoned butter
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Baked Potato without bacon
• Sweet Potato with honey butter and brown sugar
• Grilled Asparagus (cross-contact with grill; see below)
• No Rules Parmesan Pasta without protein options
• Mini Milkshakes (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, oreo)
• Sweet Adventure Dessert Sampler Trio
• Classic Cheesecake
• Carrot Cake
• Chocolate Thunder from Down Under

The vegan options at Outback Steakhouse are defined as those that do not contain “…animal meat, fish, shellfish or animal by-products, eggs, dairy or honey.”

Vegan Options at Outback Steakhouse

• House Bread
• Fresh Steamed Broccoli without seasoned butter
• Fresh Steamed Mixed Vegetables without seasoned butter
• Plain Baked Potato or Sweet Potato
• House Salad without cheese and croutons

The nutritionists at Outback Steakhouse noted that “the Grilled Asparagus comes in contact with the same grill that is used to cook animal and seafood proteins. Other items do not typically come in contact with non-vegetarian or non-vegan ingredients. It is recommended that a guest specifies that he/she is placing a vegetarian or vegan order and discusses the order with the server and manager.”

The VRG also contacted a Baltimore area Outback Steakhouse through the restaurant chain’s website contact form asking the manager if and how he could accommodate a vegan. Within a day we received this reply:

“I greatly appreciate your reaching out to us…We can create any vegan meal either grilled vegetables, baked sweet potatoes, or baked potatoes. We will do what is necessary to make…[a vegan] feel comfortable.”

The manager of the Baltimore area Outback Steakhouse also mentioned that he was connected to Carrabba’s Italian Grill® (another restaurant chain owned by Bloomin’ Brands, Inc.®) and could accommodate a vegan through them.

The contents of this posting, e-mail, VRG website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

For more information on restaurants, visit
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http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

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