Outback Steakhouse

Highlights — TLDR

1. Transition to Delivery Services: Outback Steakhouse, initially known for its dine-in experience, saw a significant rise in delivery orders in recent years, necessitating a more efficient system to handle this growing demand.

2. Solving the Tablet Chaos: Using multiple delivery platforms resulted in operational challenges at Outback Steakhouse, creating what was referred to as “tablet chaos” at the tills. Deliverect Restaurants offered a unified platform, significantly reducing the confusion and clutter of handling multiple systems.

3. Efficient Order Management: With Deliverect Restaurants, Outback Steakhouse was able to centralize its order process, leading to fewer mistakes and faster service. The streamlined process allowed chefs to receive and process orders more quickly, getting steaks on the grill and out to customers faster.

4. Time-Saving Menu Management: Deliverect Restaurant's Menu Management was pivotal in controlling menus across different delivery platforms. This integration allowed Outback Steakhouse to update menus instantly, resulting in a reported 20% time-saving in menu management.

5. Improved Sales and Data Insights: The centralization and ease of menu changes not only improved operational efficiency but also provided valuable insights into popular menu items and potential areas for improvement. This led to a steady increase in sales over six months.

6. Enhanced Speed of Service: The integration with Deliverect Restaurants enabled Outback Steakhouse to expedite its food delivery, with the capability to get orders out up to three times quicker than before. This efficiency was crucial in maintaining the quality of food and service for which the brand is known.

7. Partnership Approach with Deliverect: The collaboration with Deliverect was viewed as a technological solution and a partnership. Outback Steakhouse appreciated Deliverect's invested approach, which aligned with its commitment to quality service and customer satisfaction.

Deliverect Enables Outback Steakhouse to Scale & Streamline Delivery Operations

Outback Steakhouse was founded in the US in 1988 as an Australian-themed steak restaurant. The brand has since expanded to over 1000 locations in 23 countries, including the UK, Hong Kong, Brazil, Singapore, Mexico, China, and Japan. It opened its first Australian location in 2000.

Mike Palmer, Operations Director for Outback Steakhouse in Australia, explains the brand’s positioning as a proper Aussie steakhouse:

“We’re all about serious food. We’re out there involved in buying directly from the abattoirs and doing our butchery in-house. Our bone-in ribeye is probably one of our most popular dishes.“

After making its name as a dine-in restaurant in multiple cities, the chain saw a rise in delivery orders in the last decade, leading to the need for a more efficient delivery operations system. 

Deliverect helped Outback handle the increase in delivery orders while minimizing errors and improving efficiency in all areas.

Overcoming Tablet Chaos Speeds Up Operations

After seeing a rise in demand throughout the last decade, Outback Steakhouse transitioned to offering food for delivery. However, using multiple delivery partners led to many devices at the tills.

“We started delivery in about 2015 off the back of some demand,” Mike explains, “Delivery is now a crucial part of our business.”

Chris Noble, Managing Partner at Outback Steakhouse Australia, is in charge of delivery. Working on the front lines of the restaurants, Chris saw firsthand the impact that Deliverect Restaurants had on operations.

“[We had] too many different orders, too many tickets, they were endless,” Chris recalls, “It was a very messy place. Deliverect was a bit of a savior for us.”

Mike agrees, adding: “With the advent of Deliverect, we’ve got everything in one place. We weren’t making mistakes, the bill chef was seeing the tickets quicker and they would get the steak onto the grill quicker”

Deliverect Restaurant's Menu Management Tool Lead to a 20% Time-Saving

The next challenge with so many delivery orders was managing the menus on multiple delivery platforms. Without Deliverect Restaurants, the team would have to update menus manually on each platform, which could mean waiting hours or even days for the delivery partners to acknowledge an email and make a change. For a fast-moving brand like Outback Steakhouse, this wasn’t viable.

"With Deliverect, it’s a lot easier. There’s one platform and one menu for all the aggregators. We can do it ourselves if we want to make a price change. It’s seamless.”

— Mike Palmer, Operations Director, Outback Steakhouse Australia

The real-world impact of the increased efficiency is plain, as Mike explains: “We’ve seen our sales steadily increase over the past six months.”

Chris adds, “As a percentage, that would be 20% time-saving.” 

The Menu Management feature also helps the team see which items are selling best and where to improve.

“With the one dashboard, it’s easy to change things, but it’s also easy to get the information as to what we’re selling, what we should drop off the menu, and what should we try.”

— Mike Palmer, Operations Director for Outback Steakhouse in Australia

Deliverect Gets Orders Out Up To 3x Quicker

Deliverect Restaurants has allowed Outback Steakhouse to expand its delivery operations without compromising the quality of food or service, which has made the brand such a worldwide success story. 

Mike says that the gains have allowed his restaurant teams to give customers the best service without worrying about delivery problems: “With Deliverect, we were able to focus on what’s important to us—how we cook our food and how we package it. We can get the food out, probably two to three times quicker.”

Chris concurs that the Deliverect service is more than just that of a tech provider. He feels it is more like a partner invested in the brand's success.

“We feel like we’re partners with Deliverect rather than being an individual restaurant,” Chris says.

“The endgame is to get a quality product out to our customers as much as possible. Service is important to us and that relationship with Deliverect has been strong from the outset and continues to be strong.”

— Mike Palmer, Operations Director for Outback Steakhouse in Australia