Outback Steakhouse — Restaurant in Murfreesboro

Update! Just visited yesterday evening, Saturday, October 20, 2023. This was Not the same experience that I previously posted. Outback has went down hill!

The Front Staff were not very welcoming at all. We walked in and asked if we could sit in the bar seating in a booth. The woman said, “Go sit down where you want and I will follow with menus.” We sat down and she wasn’t nearby. We waited then I walked back up to her and said, “You said you were following.” She said, “I got distracted and will be there.” She finally came to the table and just said to us both, “Here you go, I was distracted!”

Their prices are incredibly much higher like you would pay at an Upscale Restaurant not a chain. I personally would recommend Firebirds if you want to have a nice evening in an actual upscale restaurant.

The Blooming Onion was good but was so tiny. Not at all like they used to be. The brown bread was as it always has been.

The Steak Salad I ordered for $17.99 was one of the worst salads I have ever eaten! I. order salads often at restaurants and for the price I expected it to taste good. The lettuce looked like what I would buy at the grocery store in a bag! It didn’t taste fresh or crisp and their was also discoloring. The steak was alright but nothing to brag about. Seriously, I could have stopped at any grocery store and grabbed a prepackaged salad if that’s what I wanted.

Note to Corporate: I understand cutting costs but when you jeopardize flavor, freshness and inflate the cost that is not going to help your bottom line! Fresh ingredients is necessary if you choose to have salads on the menu. Otherwise remove from menu since nobody wants to waste money on terrible food.

Plus, $19.99 for Alice Springs Chicken! That is way to high! I have previously ordered this many times but it’s just a small piece of chicken with cheese, bacon. Certainly, not worth that exorbitant price. I will go elsewhere if I want to spend $20 and something much better.

Also, if you want to cut costs get rid of the useless Host Station. Maybe have menus at every table and seat yourself. That way customers are not having to wait for menus.

I was asked by our very nice server if I wanted another salad. I refused. The taste just turned me off anything further. The manager also came to the table and I shared my views. My friend with me also concurred that her salad tasted like bagged salad. The manager confirmed that it was bagged lettuce. But that the other toppings were not. As I told her if you start with cheap, bagged lettuce it doesn’t matter what goes on top, it is still terrible.

I told her Demos Restaurant has a salad with nothing but lettuce and carrots that is delicious every time.

I am not planning on returning until they make some changes there and do not recommend wasting your hard earned money there. As I mentioned Murfreesboro has an excellent upscale restaurants.

Why do we go to restaurants? We go for the Food! The Drinks! The Service! The Atmosphere! And lastly we want a good price too! Say no more! Outback has it all! I have been an Alice Springs Chicken Fan forever! It is always delicious! They have managed to keep the Lunch Price at the same price this dish was 10 years ago for Dinner! That alone is amazing! The Old Fashioned is a must try! They use KY Bourbon and let me just say that the Smell is Phenomenal and the Taste is Superb! Worth every penny! Great to enjoy with friends, family or alone! Look at that Cheese in the Soup! Goodness talk about using fresh, real ingredients! Don’t be shy here! They have their famous Bloomin Onion with dipping sauce that is also wonderful to share! I have to say I am a huge fan of this restaurant. The Staff is always welcoming, fast and on it! The Manager even stops by occasionally and checks on you. Now that is rare these days. He was very nice and actually answered some questions regarding this Old Fashioned. That’s how I can say with certainty that it’s here to stay and that makes me very happy indeed;) See you at...

Came last Saturday for a family lunch/birthday. Granted, it was Saturday and we had a medium sized party, but it took about an hour to get drinks, appetizers and then salads before even getting the main course. I think all of our stomachs were eating themselves at that point. Then the entrees came out and everyone who ordered a steak was upset because the steaks were all cooked too much. My cousin-in-law even called the manager?/cook out to have it redone cause she ordered rare and got medium. I think their thermometer was off or something. The cocktails had wayyyyy too much ice in them and I took the ice out to reveal half a glass of cocktail, for $7? Yeah right. My biggest issue, and later found out the family agreed, was the amount of pepper/outback seasoning on literally EVERYTHING. I looked, there are 3 items on the menu that don't mention being spicy or peppery. I ordered one of them- the pork chops. Pretty sure they used a whole can of pepper on it cause I couldn't get down half of one. Had to go home wash it off and recook it. I ordered a salad top thinking that would be bland enough..nope. The croutons AND ranch were covered in the peppery seasoning! Very frustrating. I know I'm a wimp with spicy food, but 1) there are more seasonings than pepper out there and they taste great 2) why does everything on the menu have to be covered in pepper, even the ranch??? I love blooming onions but I don't get them here, I go to Texas Roadhouse cause they aren't heartburn inducing in 5 mins.

The family consensus was "no more Outback" because of these issues, but honestly I had already decided that on my own months ago. They drug me along. I ended up hating my overpriced food and woke up with a headache because I didn't eat enough the night before. Between my boyfriend and I, it was over $70! If you like pepper, eat here. If you like actual food and saving money, go elsewhere. Maybe try Texas Roadhouse.

At least this location is slightly better than...

If 0 stars were an option, I would have chose it. The service at this location was the worst I have ever encountered. I called the restaurant earlier in the day to try and reserve a table for my large party, and they informed me that you cannot make reservations. They stated that you can only call ahead to see about seating. My party arrived at 5:48, and reserved the table for 8 people. We were told that the wait time would be 30-45 minutes. Around 6:15, I went to change the number from 8 people to 10. They stated that a very large party had just left and they were cleaning the table to have us seated as soon as possible. Initially, the wait time was 30-45 minutes, and supposedly did not change with the number increase. Two similarly large parties were seated before us, and one lady from the party told me that they called ahead. This would have been fine if we had not arrived before them. Not to mention that Outback informed me prior to us coming that they did not make reservations. We were seated at 7:17 after inquiring about the wait time several times. The manager finally came over to let us know that they were cleaning a table for us, and that a few parties sat longer than they anticipated. He was very polite and offered us a $20 gift card for appetizers which we appreciated, however, the damage is already done. Then, when we finally were taken to our table, we are seated in the very BACK of the store, while the other large parties that sat before us were in the front. Our waiter was awesome and the manager came back to our table to check on us. But this experience is beyond repair. I would hate to think that this issue is about race and or discrimination, however it is very apparent. My party was rather large, yes I understand, but I had friends come from different cities to celebrate my birthday, and I deeply regret it. I would NOT recommend this location to anyone and I will...