Outback Steakhouse co-founder acquires Glory Days Grill restaurants

Bob Basham, the co-founder of Tampa-based Outback Steakhouse, now owned by Bloomin’ Brands Inc., has agreed to acquire Glory Days Inc. and its 22 company-owned Glory Days Grill restaurants in Virginia and Maryland.

Basham’s company Play Ball Florida, according to a news release, is a prominent Glory Days franchisee, operating 18 restaurants in Florida and Georgia. Glory Days was founded in 1996 in Burke, Virginia, by Basham’s brother, Richard Danker, along with Robert Garner and Jeff Newman.

Garner and Newman have opted to retire, the release states, but Danker plans to stay on as part of the management team of Play Ball Florida, which also includes Basham’s business partner and Glory Days Grill Florida CEO Jesse McPherson. Other terms of the deal, including acquisition cost, were not disclosed in the release.