4 Major Upscale Chain Restaurants You May Not Realize Are Owned By The Same Company

With a name like Bloomin' Brands, it wouldn't take long for steakhouse fans to guess at least one of the four restaurants the company operates. Just think of a chain with a wildly popular menu item bearing the same name, and the aha! moment will likely hit. Of course, it's the iconic Bloomin' Onion appetizer from Outback Steakhouse. 

Bloomin Brands, formerly called Outback Steakhouse, Inc, is a corporation created in 1991 after four friends launched the Australian-themed Outback Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida, three years earlier. Outback was eventually joined under that corporate umbrella by three additional restaurant acquisitions: Carrabba's Italian Grill, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, and Bonefish Grill. 

The fab-four dining chains now share the love across more than 1,450 restaurants worldwide, making it a major player on the casual dining scene. If you live in America, there's a pretty good chance you've noticed or experienced at least one of these chains, since the four brands collectively have a presence in 46 states. Here's a closer look at each of those eateries and what they bring to the proverbial and literal table. 

Outback Steakhouse is where it all began, setting the stage for the entire Bloomin' Brands story to unfold. When four hospitality veterans — Chris Sullivan, Robert Basham, Tim Gannon, and Trudy Cooper — opened the first Outback in Tampa, they chose a casual Australian theme with what's called a "No Rules, Just Right" attitude.

Gannon was the artful mastermind behind the Bloomin' Onion appetizer, which gets a pretty big nod for its impact on the company, enough so to merit the corporate name change in the year 2000. About 8 million of these bulbous beauties land on dining tables every single year, requiring 15 growers in four states to keep them blooming. 

The Outback Steakhouse menu lives large in the realm of familiar foods, featuring well-loved classics and new interpretations of steaks, grilled chicken, ribs, seafood, pasta, and cocktails. Appetizer-mates to the famous onion appear with Aussie-themed names, including Kookaburra Wings, Sydney Shrooms, and Alice Springs Chicken Quesadilla, named for the famous aboriginal-cultural city in Australia's Outback region. Nods to Australian influence also show up in dishes like Toowoomba Salmon, Hooley Dooley Shrimp, and Sydney Salads.  

Bonefish Grill is the seafood-centric member of the Bloomin' family, presenting a slightly more polished aura than the swarthy Outback. The first Bonefish Grill opened in 2000 in St. Petersburg, Florida. This too is a story based on friendship, with Tim Curci and Chris Parker building on personal affinities for fishing and creating tasty meals from the day's bounty. 

In a quick-spin after just one year and three locations, Bonefish Grill joined the Bloomin' Brand in 2001, then quickly hit the 100-restaurant milestone by 2006. They now number about 157 locations in 145 cities, a testament to the long-lasting appeal of its market-fresh, hand-cut fish and its signature wood-grilled cooking. Standout dishes include Bang Bang Shrimp, touted as the original much-copied version; grilled mahi mahi with mango chutney; and parmesan-crusted rainbow trout. 

Bonefish Grill offers curated sharing-size portions with its family bundles and prix fixe lunches until 3 p.m. When ordering pick-up food, you can add crushed pineapple and pomegranate martinis to go, complete with keeper shakers. Along with others in the Bloomin' Brands portfolio, Bonefish Grill is slated for some changes and closures in 2026, but the chain is expected to retain the majority of its restaurants.

Carrabba's Italian Grill brings a focus on Italian-American cooking, family recipes, and the warmth of gathering with friends and family for lively meals. Johnny Carrabba and his uncle Damian Mandola, part of the generational Carrabba family clan that immigrated to America in the early 1900s, launched the chain with a single Houston, Texas, restaurant in 1986. 

With family roots deep into Sicilian food culture, it was natural for the founders to bring generational recipes to their venture: from-scratch sauces, big piles of pasta, wood-fire grilled meats, and all made to order.  By 1993, their success led to a joint venture with Bloomin' Brands, helping to eventually expand the brand into its current 200-plus locations. 

The food remains classic and comfortable, with some reaching fan-fave status. That includes the Chicken Bryan dish, created to honor Carrabba's grandfather. The wood-fired chicken gets a topping of goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, plus some chopped fresh basil and a creamy lemon butter sauce. Likewise, the Fettucine Carrabba brings its own family story of being created by accident by the chef-founder when experimenting with whatever he had on hand. The result is a creamy pasta with wood-grilled chicken, peas, and sauteed mushrooms — but the real secret, according to Carrabba, is in how they marry the pasta and the sauce. After cooking the pasta in a separate pot, it gets mixed directly into the simmering stovetop sauce, infusing flavor all the way through the dish. 

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar raises the bar for Bloomin' Brands, presenting meals in an upscale ambiance of white linens, white plates, and fancy wine glasses. It sprang to life in 1998, opening its doors in Newport Beach, California. Founded by restaurant veterans Paul Fleming and Bill Allen, it's a contemporary take on the classic steakhouse experience. 

In 1999, the founders entered a partnership with Outback Steakhouse's parent company to grow its fledgling brand, allowing Fleming's to access to Outback's widespread resources. With those foundational roots, it's now an integral part of today's Bloomin' Brands, with 65-plus locations in the U.S. The menu obviously centers on the steaks, which get broiled at intense heats of 1600 degrees Fahrenheit to seal in juices, while the company's proprietary seasonings help create a caramelized sear. 

It's no surprise that hand-cut filet mignon is a signature dish here, as is the bone-in counterpart. Ribeyes, New York strips, and even a giant 35-ounce prime Tomahawk earn prominent spots on the Fleming's menu. Then there's the Japanese A5 Wagyu Tasting Experience, and its slightly less attention-grabbing Australian Carrara Wagyu Strip. Given its deep Californian roots and 14 restaurants in the state, there's a strong connection between Flemings and the wines created there, including curated selections from the likes of Caymus and BelleGlos.