Tampa, Florida-based casual restaurant company Bloomin’ Brands Inc. has started construction on an Outback Steakhouse restaurant and a Carrabba’s Italian Grill restaurant at the new I-Shops retail and dining  complex on International Dr. and Sand Lake Rd.  in Orlando, Florida.  The I-Shops project is adjacent to the I-Drive Live entertainment project that will include the Orlando Eye, a 425 foot tall observation wheel.  The full service casual restaurants share a pad location with the Outback Steakhouse measuring about 7640 square feet with seating for about 300 people and the Carrabba’s Italian Grill accounting for about 7900 square feet and seating for 289.  Outback Steakhouse is an Australian themed steakhouse restaurant in which beef and steak items make up a good portion of the menu.  The restaurants also offer a variety of chicken, ribs, seafood, and pasta dishes.  There are more than 1200 of the moderately priced restaurants in over 20 countries with more than 975 in the United States.

Introduced in Houston, Texas in 1986, Carrabba’s Italian Grill is best known for its wood-burning grill and signature dishes such as Chicken Bryan, Pollo Rosa Maria and Marsala that are enhanced by the taste of the grill.  The fresh, made-to-order menu includes a wide selection of classic Italian favorites along with a full bar, a moderately-priced wine list featuring  Italian and California vintages, a premium selection of domestic and imported beers and seasonal cocktail specialties. There are currently over 235 of the full service restaurants with units in Venice, Florida and Ann Arbor, Michigan under development.

CATEGORY:   Full service casual

Chain Name:  Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Company Name:  Bloomin’ Brands Inc

Street Address:    2202 N. West Shore Blvd., Suite 500, Tampa, Florida 33607

Tel:  813/282-1225                                      Fax:

Email: homeoffice@carrabbas.com            Website:  www.carrabbas.com  

Menu Specialty: Fresh, made-to-order authentic Italian menu, featuring wood-burning grill and full bar.

Introduced:  In December, 1986 in Houston, Texas by Damian Mandola and Johnny Carrabba

No. of Locations:  Over 235 in the United States

Areas of Operation:  United States

Types of Location: 

BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv):   Public Company, Corporate owned restaurants

Size Req’d:  Average 6300 sq.ft. with seating for 230.

Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc):  Patios where available

Contact Name:  Elizabeth Smith – CEO, Chairman of Board of Directors

                  John Li – Sen Vice President, Chief Research & Development Officer, Bloomin’ Brands

                  Gregg Scarlett – Sen Vice President, Casual Dining Restaurant Operations, Bloomin’ Brands

                  Suk Singh – Sen. Vice President, Chief Development Officer, Bloomin’ Brands

Patrick Murtha – President, Bloomin’ Brands International

Steven Shlemon – President, Carrabba’s Italian Grill

REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:

FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:

PARENT COMPANY: Bloomin’ Brands Inc., Tampa, Florida

Related Chains:  Outback Steakhouse, Roy’s Restaurant, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Last Report:  Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #111 Last Update:

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