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Bloomin’ Brands CEO David Deno on evolving the company's brands and investing in digital in a post-pandemic worldBloomin’ Brands CEO David Deno on evolving the company's brands and investing in digital in a post-pandemic world

In Tuesday’s CREATE keynote, Deno discussed how the brands have changed during the pandemic, including off-premise and ghost kitchen investments

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

May 5, 2021

3 Min Read
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Investing smartly in off-premise solutions and digital brands during the pandemic was not only the key to survival for Bloomin’ Brands in 2020, but these investments unlock potential for growth moving forward, Bloomin’ Brands CEO David Deno said in Tuesday’s CREATE keynote Q&A with Nation’s Restaurant News’ Senior Editor Ron Ruggless.

“I firmly believe that off-premise will stick in even the casual-dining industry,” Deno said Tuesday. “I think people's eyes have been opened by the quality of food that they can get home from concepts like ours. Our Carrabba's business is just hitting at-home sales wise, day after day, week after week. And that food — pizza, pasta and proteins — travels so well.”

During the pandemic, Bloomin’ Brands opened up the first location of Aussie Grill: a fast-casual, drive-thru spinoff of Outback Steakhouse (though plans were already underway in 2019), and also announced the creation of company’s first virtual concept, Tender Shack. In February, Bloomin’ confirmed that they would be expanding the delivery-only brand to 750 locations nationwide. 

The success of Tender Shack, which led to Bloomin’s decision to expand the virtual concept nationwide in February, starts with making the process easier for their employees. Right now, tender Shack is available out of 700 Outback, Carrabba’s and Fleming’s kitchens, with more to come.

David Deno 2019.jpg“You have to really make sure that the product offering is consistent and simple for the operators to execute,” Deno, left, said. “We are serving products we’re already making and serving and just creating a virtual brand out of it. We didn’t make Shack. It’s a matter of formulating things in the restaurant to make that happen.”

As for Aussie Grill, Deno said they already have opened two freestanding restaurants in the Tampa area with three or four more scheduled to open in 2021.

“You’re going to see us nail the drive-thru for convenience and carryout [with Aussie Grill],” Deno said. “We’ll have seating as per request but this is a convenience play. […] It’s a younger demographic: families, late-night, lunch crowd. It’s a different group of people than Outback.”

Even within their concepts that existed before the pandemic, Bloomin’ Brands believes it’s smart to continue investing in off-premise, like focusing on packaging that retains the quality of the food.

“Bonefish Grill didn't have a delivery business prior to all this and now they’ve got a big one,” Deno said. And that Bonefish family bundle — shrimp, salmon, etc. — is outstanding [...] and I encourage you to get it to your family. It's a great price point. […] We can do an even better job with food that travels well. And it’s hard to make at home.”

Moving forward, Bloomin’ Brands wants to focus on revamping in-house technology (with tableside ordering being tested out right now at one location), and preparing for a post-COVID economy and consumer needs. For example, pre-pandemic, Outback Steakhouse had 110menu items that were whittled down to 55. Now they’re going to get those menus up to 80-85 menu items moving forward, but “we’ll never return to 210.”

“I think we’re trying to be innovative,” Deno said. “We've got some fantastic [casual-dining] brands, like Outback […] But at the same time, there have to be opportunities in fast-casual and delivery-only/virtual brands. And we want to participate in that: we have the intellectual muscle, great people and financial muscle to make that happen.”

The session was part of the May 4 CREATE Digital Dive, which was sponsored by TransAct. Watch the full conversation with David Deno on-demand here.

CREATE sponsors:

Founding sponsor: Johnsonville Foodservice

Gold sponsor: Texas Pete and The Coca-Cola Company

Silver sponsor: Ecolab

Contact Joanna at [email protected]

Find her on Twitter: @JoannaFantozzi

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About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.  

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine. 

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events. 

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

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