What's Included In Outback Steakhouse's $14.99 Special — It's Three Courses

Every chain restaurant boasts a meal deal worth driving in for, and Outback Steakhouse has a dinner  that will fill you up while keeping pennies in your pocket. The Aussie 3-Course Meal starts at $14.99 (all prices taken from a Massachusetts location), and offers you a starter, an entree, and a dessert. But that price can go up and down depending on what you pick, making it potentially more expensive than advertised.

The first course offers up three appetizer choices — the baked potato soup, the house salad, and the caesar salad. Adding them to your tab won't raise the price of the meal, but consumers can upgrade to other salads or soups for a fee. The Blue Cheese Pecan Salad or the Wedge Salad will cost you an additional dollar, as will the Tasmanian Chili or the French Onion Soup. 

The chain also offers up three popular Outback Steakhouse menu items as part of the deal. They are The Bloomin' Burger — a hamburger topped with the restaurant's signature fried onion dish — The Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp, and Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie. A handful of sides — such as french fries, baked potatoes and steamed broccoli — are available as accompaniments. If you're in more of a surf and turf mood, you can enhance your order by adding a 6 or 8-ounce Center-Cut Sirloin, Grilled Chicken on the Barbie, Bloomin' Fried Chicken, or a Half Rack of Ribs. But switching up your proteins will cost you.

If you want to venture outside of the three core items when building your Aussie 3-Course, you're going to have to shell out. Grilled Chicken on the Barbie and the 6-ounce steak will cost you an extra three bucks; the 8-ounce steak, ribs, and fried chicken options will up the amount to $20.99. Dessert-lovers have a single option — Cheesecake — though you can try something new by picking out one of several sauces like chocolate or raspberry.

A limited menu isn't the only restriction; the meal deal is a dine-in only option. It also has limited availability and won't be at every Outback location. That definitely rankled some commenters over on r/fastfood. "I hate deals like that. Let me take my food and go eat in peace," one poster said. Others had an issue with the bargain's pricing. "With all the up charges, it's not a good deal," remarked another. But a user posting to r/outbacksteakhouse found something to love about it. "Not bad! Did try some other things on the menu that I didn't think were very good — but this was decent enough given the price," they said.

If you find Outback's 3-Course a bit too restrictive, there's always plenty of other sit-down restaurants offering more expansive fare. Whether it's Chilis' 3 for Me, one of the best budget-friendly sit-down chain restaurant deals, or the 2 for $25, which offers up many of Applebee's most popular menu items for a slim price. Take a look around and you're bound to find a deal that fills your wallet and your belly.