Amid crisis, restaurant group sees positive sales trends emerging

TAMPA — Bloomin’ Brands Inc. (NASDAQ: BLMN), the Tampa-based parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, states in a press release that 92% of its company-owned restaurants have reopened with limited in-restaurant dining capacity. 

CEO David Deno, providing a business update that accompanies the firm’s second quarter financial results, says flagship brand Outback Steakhouse has begun to reverse the sales slide that accompanied the COVID-19 shutdown. As of July 19, the average weekly in-restaurant dining sales volume, per store, was $60,095. That’s 10.7% less than the same period last year, but Deno says the company has prioritized a swift but responsible reopening process for more than 500 Outback locations nationwide.