Out West Restaurant Group
{{Short description|American Private Equity Firm}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Out West Restaurant Group
| image = File:Outback Steakhouse Lakewood CA.jpg
| image_caption = An Outback restaurant in Lakewood, California in October 2023
| logo = Out West Restaruant Group, Inc. logo.jpg
| type = Private
| key_people = David Goronkin (CEO)
| former_name = {{Unbulleted list | T-Bird Restaurant Group
(1994-2017) }}
| genre = Casual dining
| products = Australian themed American cuisine
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1992}}
| founder = {{ubl|Thomas J. Shannon Jr.}}
| area_served = California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico
| location_city = San Diego, California (formerly La Jolla, California)
| location_country = United States
| industry = Restaurants
| homepage = {{URL|www.outwestrg.com|Out West Restaurant Group}}
| revenue = US$ ~4.2 million (annually)
}}
Out West Restaurant Group Inc. is an American Private Equity Firm that operates and franchises the West Coast Branch of the national Australian-themed steakhouse chain Outback Steakhouse, based in San Diego, California. The company currently operates Outback locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.
History
Out West Restaurant Group was founded by Thomas J. Shannon Jr. in 1992, under T-Bird Restaurant Group. The company would separately operate a select number of Outback Steakhouse locations, exclusively in California. T-Bird operated out of their original headquarters in La Jolla, California.{{cite news
|url = https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/107337-97#overview
|title = Out West Restaurant Group Overview
|work = PitchBook
|date = 2015
}}
Before 1992, all Outback locations were corporately-owned by Bloomin' Brands and were mostly located on the East Coast of the United States. Under Shannon's leadership, T-Bird grew to operate over 60 Outback locations in California, and even resulted in the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation named Tom the "Restaurateur of the Year, 2002."{{cite news
|url = https://www.irishamerica.com/honoree/thomas-j-shannon-jr/
|title = Thomas J. Shannon, Jr.
|work = Irish America
|date = 2011
}}
Initially, T-Bird did not operate any Outback restaurants. The first Outback location owned by T-Bird opened in 1994 in Upland, California. After this, many other Outback restaurants opened in the Metropolitan LA area.
In October 2015, T-Bird, and its 62 Outback locations, were acquired by H.I.G. Capital, a private equity firm based in Miami, Florida. This buyout resulted in the company's stock ultimately going private, leaving its exact financial status largely unknown.{{cite news
|url = https://hig.com/news/h-i-g-capital-completes-acquisition-of-t-bird-restaurant-group-inc/
|title = H.I.G. Capital Completes Acquisition of T-Bird Restaurant Group, Inc.
|publisher = H.I.G. Capital
|date = 7 October 2015
|url = https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/private-equity-firm-buys-outback-steakhouse-franchisee
|title = Private-equity firm buys Outback Steakhouse Franchisee
|publisher = Kelsey Squire
|date = 7 October 2015
}}
In 2018, the now privately owned T-Bird merged with a struggling restaurant company, Cerca Trova Restaurant Concepts, and created a new company, which would be named Out West Restaurant Group Inc, due to their large footprint of Outback restaurants located on the West Coast. This newly formed company moved from its La Jolla base to its new headquarters in San Diego, California. This new company then started to acquire Outback locations in many other states, including Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, while also growing their already large footprint in California. Out West now operates over 100 locations in their five respective states, all in the West Coast, and is the largest franchise of Bloomin' Brands locations in the world.{{cite news
|url = https://hig.com/portfolio/out-west-restaurant-group-inc/
|title = Out West Restaurant Group, Inc.
|publisher = H.I.G. Capital
|date = October 2015
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.outwestrg.com}}
- {{URL| https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/107337-97#overview|Brands}}
- {{cite web |url=https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/private-equity-firm-buys-outback-steakhouse-franchisee |title=Private-equity firm buys Outback Steakhouse franchisee |author=Kelsey Squire |date=October 7, 2015}}
{{gallery |align=center |title=Gallery |height=200
|File:Outback Steakhouse Foothill Ranch.jpg|Out West owned restaurant in Lake Forest, California, September 2023. Opened in March 1999 under the T-Bird Restaurant Group.
|File:Outback Steakhouse CA.JPG|An Out West (Then T-Bird) owned Outback location at Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, California, in September 2007. This location was moved to the outdoor wing, with the original restaurant demolished and turned into a Marshalls location.
File:Outback Steakhouse SoCal.jpg. Opened in 1994 as the first Outback Steakhouse in Southern California.]]
}}