Concord Outback Says, Goodbye, Mate

Outback Steakhouse, an Australian-themed restaurant with more than 700 locations around the globe, closed its doors sometime in the last few days, according to regular patrons of the establishment.

A short phone message on the restaurant's phone number stated that the location was “permanently closed for business” and advised customers to visit the Bedford location on South River Road, off Route 101 and I-293.

A clerk at the Bedford location stated that she didn’t know why the Concord location closed but that the Bedford location was “doing great business” and would not be closing.

The Concord establishment, located on Loudon Road, had been operating since 2003.

The corporate media offices for the company did not return an email seeking comment. There was also no statement on the company’s website about the closing. The Concord location's Facebook site, which was started in 2011, and had 56 friends, also had no comment. 

A search of the Internet yielded a number of website stories about recent closures of Outback Restaurants across the country.

According to the Portland Press Herald, a location in South Portland, the state’s only location, closed in July. A location in Newington appears to have closed sometime in late 2009 or early 2010. Other locations in Toronto and Seattle have also closed. 

Some Outback locations have also seen health violations, according to a web search. A North Miami Beach location, for example, closed in May, due to failed health inspections. Live roaches were found in the kitchen over a cook line, with food debris found along a kitchen floor and “non-food contact surfaces” throughout the restaurant. The restaurant re-opened a day later.

The restaurant, owned by Bloomin’ Brands, Inc., which claims to be “one of the world’s largest casual dining companies,” with more than 1,400 locations, began trading stock on NASDAQ in August. The shares, which opened at $11, were trading down 17 cents at $15.21 at closing on Oct. 8.

The closure comes about a month before the new Buffalo Wild Wings is expected to open on the other side of the Loudon Road complex of stores historically known as King’s Plaza.