This Outback Steakhouse Sister Chain Provides An Upscale Dining Experience

Outback Steakhouse has long been one of the most recognizable steakhouse chains in the country, but like many chain restaurants, it has connections to other chains you may not realize. For example, longtime rival LongHorn Steakhouse is one of many chains operated by the Darden restaurant group, most famous for owning Olive Garden, but also YardHouse and Ruth's Chris. Outback meanwhile was the founding brand of its larger company, known as Bloomin' Brands. And like Darden, Bloomin' has expanded beyond the casual and affordable Outback by catering to upscale diners with Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

Fleming's was not part of Bloomin' from the start, but it got brought into the fold very quickly. It was founded in 1998 in Newport Beach, California by namesake Paul Fleming and Bill Allen. Fleming is a longtime restaurateur who moved from opening Ruth's Chris franchises into starting his own restaurants. He might be most famous as one of the co-founders of P.F. Chang's, and if you didn't know those, the chain got its initials from the combination of "Paul Fleming" and co-founder Philip Chiang. So Fleming's and P.F. Chang's are actually named after the same person.

While Fleming's started as an independent steakhouse it quickly started expanding, and only a year later it was partnering with Bloomin' to open new locations as joint ventures. Bloomin' took over the brand in the early 2000s, and it has since expanded to more than 65 locations across the country.

Menu wise, Fleming's is pretty much your standard steakhouse with some high-end ingredients. It serves 100% USDA Prime beef, including some wagyu and dry-aged steak options. It also has more luxurious accompaniments, including a full chilled shellfish tower, oysters, the ability to add trifle-poached lobster & caviar to a steak, and sides like pancetta Brussels sprouts and sweet corn brûlée.

What sets Fleming's apart is its emphasis on its California roots. This is most shown in its wine list, which has a strong focus on the Golden State and Napa Valley in particular, including direct partnerships with some big-name local vineyards, and the chain even has wine managers to help guide customers through the menu. On the food side, Flemings' enhances its standard menu with rotating accompaniments based on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Fleming's isn't the only upscale chain owned by Bloomin' Brands either. Seafood chain Bonefish Grill is another part of the portfolio, and its history with Bloomin' started much the same way and at the same time as Fleming's. Seems like Outback's parent company knows what it likes when it sees it.