According to a report by Source of the Spring, Outback Steakhouse will open its new Downtown Silver Spring location on Tuesday, April 9. The Australian-themed casual dining restaurant will be located in the space that was previously home to Not Your Average Joe’s at 8661 Colesville Rd.
The restaurant will then host an official grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, April 10 that will include giveaways and the chance to win “free Outback for a year.”
In February, the chain closed its Germantown location at 12609 Wisteria Dr. in the Germantown Square shopping center after more than 30 years in business. The company has an additional Montgomery County location at 13703 Georgia Ave in Aspen Hill.
While Outback Steakhouse is an international chain, one of the founders has strong local ties. Chris T. Sullivan, one of the founders of Outback Steakhouse, is a Blair High School alumnus. Sullivan attended the school, and Takoma Park Middle School before that, in the 60s before heading to the University of Kentucky to study business and economics.
After graduating in 1972, he became a restaurant manager at Steak & Ale before opening the first Outback with his partners in 1988. He and the other co-founders saw the chain expand to over 900 restaurants worldwide and grow to include Carrabba’s, Bonefish, and several other hospitality-related businesses. He has previously been CEO and president of OSI Restaurant Partners (the restaurant group he founded) and is currently a board member at Bloomin’ Brands.