Oh WOW... Outback is offering a free Bloomin Onion to military veterans in March.

[LiberalFighter]

I say whoopy doo!! Such a generous offer.

Maybe they can offer free butter while they are at it.

[Ken Burch]

1. Will they pay for the ambulance

When the chest pains kick in?

[Maru Kitteh]

41. An onion fried in vegetable oil might make you fat but it has no cholesterol.

Only animal products contain cholesterol.

[Codeine]

87. Those onions are coated in some kind of goo

that evidently has animal products in it; the nutritional facts list something like 90mg of cholesterol per serving.

[Ken Burch]

100. It probably has beef broth, like the McDonalds' french fries

(Big Clown started putting that in when they were forced to stop using tallow to fry them.)

[Codeine]

88. dupe

[BuddhaGirl]

77. no kidding!

that thing is LOADED with saturated fat...according to the nutritional info, 1/4 of it is the serving size!! :puke:

http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/outback-steakhouse/blooming-onion

[warm regards]

80. Well, don't eat them.

[BuddhaGirl]

81. don't you worry!!

I don't eat crap but you can go ahead if you like :hi:

[CBR]

2. I just saw that ad.. I LOLed -- cheapskates. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

8. Same here. Could not believe it....

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Butter on a Bloomin Onion? Eww.

But it does seem a bit chintzy, doesn't it?

[Fuzz]

4. Free market at work! That should make up for everything.

[femmocrat]

5. Do they require an ID?

How would they know who is or is not a veteran?

[proteus_lives]

25. We do for military discount where I work.

Lots of people try to scam the discount.

[cherokeeprogressive]

49. Would my DD-214 suffice? n/t

[proteus_lives]

86. Yep.

Or a military ID card.

[MineralMan]

53. You gots to bring in yer DD-214, I imagine.

I carry one with me all the time. Whip it out to get my discounts, doncha know.

[omega minimo]

6. That's sad.

[madaboutharry]

7. Nutritional Facts from Outback Steakhouse

This is from their website:

Total Meal - Bloomin' Onion®
Serves 6
Nutritional Facts*
Per Serving Total
Calories 260.9 cal 1565.1 cal
Carbohydrates 31.1 g 186.4 g
Dietary Fiber 4.2 g 25.1 g
Total Fat 14.0 g 84.2 g
Saturated Fat 5.4 g 32.5 g
Protein 4.6 g 27.9 g
Cholesterol 15.2 mg 91.5 mg
Sodium 918.4 mg 5510.7 mg

http://www.outback.com/foodandmenus/nutritionalinfo.aspx

on edit: notice that they say it is meant for SIX people to share.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. It would be more a reward if they said no veteran would be allowed to order one...

[Cirque du So-What]

37. That's not counting the sauce

There's a good deal of fat in the dipping sauce as well.

[Posteritatis]

78. That thing is terrifying and I kinda want one (and only one, ever). (nt)

[babylonsister]

9. Free is free. The Lowes around here offer 10% discounts for

anyone with a military ID. :shrug:

And those onions, while artery cloggers, are tasty. :9 :9

[northofdenali]

16. As do almost every retail outfit in Fairbanks.

Not just veterans, but any veteran/active military/dependant. Our soldiers and airmen love it - no sales tax, no state income tax, PFD's while here and 10% off everywhere EXCEPT Wal Mart!

[hootinholler]

63. Personal Floatation Devices?

:shrug:

PFD?

:rofl:

-Hoot

[northofdenali]

65. Silly!

Permanent Fund Dividends - ya know - where they pay us to live here! :P

[alfredo]

71. Personal Floatation Devices, makes me think of Hooters.

An Army buddy talked about how he enjoys going to Hooters. I asked him about the food.

He answered "I don't recall."

[WolverineDG]

22. People will crab about anything done for the military

I had someone here jump on my ass because I said I like an airline's policy of making military in uniform "elites for the day" & letting them board before everyone else. :eyes:

dg

[ClassWarrior]

29. So we should be praising Outback for using a cheap marketing ploy to entice the military?

:crazy:

NGU.

[WolverineDG]

40. You should at least not be crapping on it

:eyes:

dg

[ClassWarrior]

62. I shouldn't be crapping on a transparent attempt to exploit our military?

Alrighty then. :thumbsup:

NGU.

[WolverineDG]

66. They don't have to do ANYTHING

you see it as exploitation, that's your problem. Some others are whining because they don't think it's "enough." Outback didn't have to do a damn thing, and quite frankly, it is piss-poor manners to crap on an act of generosity.

dg

[Happy Hippy]

50. I agree with your sentiments.

I wonder how much the people calling Outback "cheapskates" have done for American military men and women? I'm guess nothing unless you can count online war protesting or membership in the 101st keyboard division.

[CBR]

64. I called Outback cheapskates because I think Outback should do MORE

than offer a bloomin' onion not because I do not think they should do anything. My dad is retired military. I grew up a military brat and lived that life. I support the military.

[WolverineDG]

68. But you aren't the Outback & they didn't have to do squat nt

[CBR]

69. They didn't but after the first Gulf War I remember my Dad being able to take

us to Sea World and Disneyland for free because of their military recognition programs. I guess giving free steaks was too much.

[WolverineDG]

82. There is such a thing as being gracious for what is offered

and not only are you being ungracious, you are now being greedy. :eyes:

dg

[Name removed]

67. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Happy Hippy]

73. I can believe that.

Why don't we do some math?

How much does a "Blooming Onion" cost? Let's assume that Outback purchases the onion product from Sysco (Cisco makes networking hardware, not food products as some members here would like to think) for a cost of .50 per unit with a .15 cost for the big tub of sauce. Now we have to factor in the cost of preparation (fry cook's pay), we have to factor in the cost of serving the thing up (waiters pay rate), then the cost to bus it back and clean the plate, plus any associated fixed costs. The Blooming Onion's total cost of preparation and "consumption services" are probably around 2.50-3.00$- this is actually too low, as DRI has a post tax profit margin of around 5.7% - DRI does not own Outback, as Outback is a privately owned company, but DRI is a direct competitor so we can safely assume that Outback's post tax profit margin is around 5-10%. The restaurant sells these puppies for between 5.95-7.00$~ depending on the market. As of 2006, there were nearly 25 million living veterans in the United States.

Let's assume 100,000 military families take advantage of this promotional. It could easily be 500,000 or 1,000,000 or 50,000 we just don't know.

Let's see the cost of this promotional.

100,000 Free Blooming Onions - Total Cost to Outback: $250,0000* - $300,000*, Opportunity Cost: $595,000 - $700,000
* If you assume the same post tax profit margin as DRI, then your looking at a total cost to Outback of $561,000 - 660,000$ with at a rate of 100,000 promotional offers accepted and an opportunity cost of $595,000 - $700,000.

As some clever member's here have pointed out, this promotional will surely drawn in customers who will ultimately drop an additional 50-70$ on Outback's entree's. But the question is, how many customers will this draw in, that WOULDN'T have otherwise gone to Outback in the first place? This is essentially the equivalent of a 10% discount, but one must first be willing to spend 50-70$ - (who doesn't order an entree?) to receive the discount. If you're on the fence about going to Outback, then this may push you over, if you were already going to go, then this doesn't help Outback, if you're in dire straits then I doubt this will bring you in. Keep in mind that while the entrees will run 50-70$ for a family, Outback probably has a post tax profit margin of 5-10%.


Here are the numbers that I pulled for DRI

http://finapps.forbes.com/finapps/jsp/finance/compinfo/Ratios.jsp?tkr=DRI

[WolverineDG]

83. Thing is, this isn't the only offer Outback makes

Before they closed the one locally, local charities regularly held "Outback Dinners," where you could buy tickets for $20, which covered 1 of 2 entrees--the chicken one & the Outback special, dessert, & non-booze beverage. The charities got 100% of what they sold; the Outback got whatever else the folks ordered (appetizer, booze, additional entrees; servers of course got their tips). Of course, you could only go in on the slow nights (Monday-Thursday), so I'm sure some malcontent here is going to whine about that. It was my understanding from the local GM that other Outbacks do this as well.

Point being, the Outback is likely doing MORE for the communities the restaurants are in; they're just not blowing their own horn about it. So calling them cheapskates for this one promotion is a bit ungracious.

dg

[arcadian]

46. That's the thing, it ain't free.

They are just trying to get people in the door.

[blondeatlast]

101. I've never tried one, but I luvz me some onions--and someday soon

I want to try it. Maybe on my b-day in May; I just mentioned it to my kid.

[mattvermont]

10. And the underpaid and undersupported family

will have to pay $65 bucks plus tip to eat that cisco crap because the vet is gonna get a 50 cent onion full of grease.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[begin_within]

12. Are they trying to kill veterans? 3,148 calories, 281 grams of fat (43 saturated), 5044 mg. sodium

in one full onion plus the dipping sauce. I guess nobody eats the whole thing, as it is designed for 4 people. I guess they're trying to get veterans to come in and buy full meals.

[TwilightGardener]

13. Nice of them. They don't have to do anything.

[babylonsister]

17. Exactly. I agree. Gift horse/mouth/yadayadayada. nt

[ClassWarrior]

14. For the whole month of March!?? Wow, the SACRIFICE that Outback is making...

:puke:

NGU.

[alfredo]

15. A beer would go with the onions. In a few hours the gas

emitted could kill house plants and curdle milk.

[Lasher]

26. Their November promotion includes a Blooming Onion and a beverage.

It would be a cruel hoax if that beverage did not equal beer. Maybe this offer includes a beer!

:toast:

[alfredo]

30. It will probably be something cheaper than an onion.

[Cirque du So-What]

35. I nearly asphyxiated my entire family

It wasn't Outback, but I consumed a large part of a similarly-prepared onion at another franchise, washed down with a couple beers. My family was prepared to call HAZMAT in order to contain the toxic emissions.

[alfredo]

70. On the up side, all drains have been unclogged, and you

won't have to peel off that old wallpaper.

[KILL THE WISE ONE]

18. why do they hate our veterans

[jkshaw]

19. Actually, it's a specialty and very

popular, and very expensive.I got one as an appetizer before our dinner, my husband begged off after tasting it -- he's on a low-fat diet. It was delicious, but I had no idea it was so huge. I wrapped 95% of it in napkins and took it to a meeting we had right after dinner. There were ten people there, I put it in the middle of the table, and it was eaten finally, with gusto, by all of them.

I'm an onion lover, but this one is really is too enormous for one person to eat.

[LiberalFighter]

57. $5.95 is expensive? At least that is the cost listed on their menu online.

[Codeine]

93. Expensive in so far as it's an onion in batter.

If it costs more than 75¢ to produce I'd be shocked.

[Fridays Child]

20. Not to be a harbinger of gloom but...

...one quarter of an Outback bloomin' onion has 787 calories, 1,261 milligrams of sodium, and 70.3 grams of fat. It's a bloomoin' heart attack on a plate.

Tune in next week for another episode of "Friday Night Buzzkill!" :P

[Lasher]

21. Whatever it is I can tell you from personal experience, soldiers like to be shown appreciation.

Depending on your state of mind at the moment, a little thing like this can be a real big deal.

I was aware that Outback did this during November in celebration of Veterans' Day. Several businesses do such things that month and good for them. But this is the first I've heard of anybody having such an offer during March.

This is for active duty and for vets. Bring your military ID card or discharge papers (copy of your DD-214). I didn't see it spelled out but I'll bet it's OK if you show your VA photo ID card if you have one. Best to call your local Outback about that before you go, I suppose. And I think they stipulate this is just at participating locations so you'd better call first anyway.

http://blog.al.com/bargain-mom/2010/03/military_veterans_get_a_free_b.html

Thanks, Outback! :patriot:

[ClassWarrior]

31. So when Mickey D's offers me two Big Macs for the price of one, it's appreciation??

Wow, and I thought it was just a transparent come-on to get me to blow my money on their worthless crap.

:eyes:

NGU.

[NeedleCast]

34. Illogical

Using your (silly) measure, every discount is siply an transparent come-on to get you to blow your money.

As a veteran I appreciate the recognition, no matter what the cost to the restaurant/store.

[ClassWarrior]

54. I sure hope our military people aren't the clueless suckers you all are making them out to be.

NGU.

[ClassWarrior]

55. And yes, in Corporate America, every discount is simply a transparent come-on to get you to...

...blow your money. If they really want to show their appreciation for the military, why doesn't Outback offer a free meal for every military individual and three members of his or her family? No strings attached? Not just the cheapest item on the menu?

Or as someone else on the thread said, why not a steak?

NGU.

[Happy Hippy]

75. .....

Why don't you?

[arcadian]

47. Don't bother

This thread is at the nexus of militarism and wanton consumerism. There are many right wingers on DU who are gaga for both, and will only treat your analysis in the same way a dog treats a high pitched sound, with a dumb look and a tilted head.

[Happy Hippy]

92. No, some members apprarently hate

any sense of graciousness towards American military men and women. I can assure you if this was done for the LGBT community, then we would all be in tears over the corporate generosity.

Yes, this is good business. Doing something positive for those who serve our country helps enhance corporate goodwill. It's a win win for everyone.

[JI7]

23. why not Steak ?

[Hissyspit]

24. Make your own:

http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/2002/0452275873_2.html

I did and it turned out pretty much just like the restaurant, even the sauce!

I am dead of a massive coronary, by the way.

(Actually, I'm on a diet right now. It's going really well. The Bloomin' Onion was just for a special occasion, a Christmas Party.)

[KayLaw]

58. I tried.

We actually bought a special onion cutter we saw on television. We ended up with a gross glob of goo. We decided it was a "Don't try this at home" kind of thing.

Best of luck on your new diet.

:hi:

[Initech]

27. Will our vets also get the complimentary bottle of desert Pepto Bismol?

[Canuckistanian]

28. No. The free butter is only available to Congressional Medal of Honor winners

And only after a minimum purchase of a $24 meal. Every second Tuesday. Unless it rains.

But kudos for the onion thing.

[NeedleCast]

32. What should they be offering?

As a veteran I appreciate their recognition. I don't need the to give me a franchise to show their support.

I didn't join the military to get free stuff.

[OhioBlue]

33. So they offer a free appetizer?

It is a marketing tool. A Corporate, chain restaurant is target marketing vets with a coupon for a free appetizer in anticipation that the will buy meals and drinks... and.... they're looking for good PR for their crap offer. Maybe they'll adopt a flag motif in the restaurant and claim they're all patriotic for their little marketing idea.

I say whoopy doo too.

It's marketing. They're looking to make a buck off of the people that take advantage of the "deal" b/c they will lure then into the restaurant and they will buy more food and drink.

Now, if they donate to programs to help vets or families of those deployed, if they have a program to support employees that are called to service, etc... that is different. But on its surface.. this is nothing more than a marketing tool in their toolbox. Appreciated by some, I'm sure.. but it is what it is.

[NeedleCast]

42. Sometimes a free app is just a free app

[KingFlorez]

36. I think it's a good gesture

It's not a lot, but there are vets out there who go hungry all the time and every little bit counts.

[Kievan Rus]

38. Do they get a free quadruple bypass too?

[bertman]

39. I'm a veteran. I love bloomin' onions. But here's my take on this:

The average Outback probably sells between 50 and 200 bloomin' onions per meal time so they are making them by the ovenload anyway.

The average Outback customer gets an appetizer of some sort--often a bloomin' onion.

The wait person has to bring the appetizer to the table anyway, so no extra trips here.

The cooks are already preparing an ovenload of bloomin' onions anyway, so no extra work here.

They probably pay 50 cents tops for those onions considering they buy them by the boxcar load, so that's 50 cents off their bottom line.

The wait person will not cost a penny more grabbing a bloomin' onion instead of another appetizer.

Any vet who comes in to Outback for this "special offer" is going to spend a helluva lot more on a meal than the 50 cents it's costing Outback for the onion. Not to mention bringing family or friend(s) with him.

So, net gain for Outback for an absolutely brilliant marketing ploy that costs them next to nothing and gains customers and profits.

There is nothing patriotic about this. It's purely business. Good business, too.

Now, if they'd offered a free steak dinner I'd be impressed.

[Happy Hippy]

89. Learn managerial accounting and get back to me.

I think you need to learn about break-even analysis. Fixed costs are distributed across everything that comes out of that kitchen - you can't just say, "they were making a bunch of them anyway". Variable costs are associated with everything that comes out of the kitchen as well.

I'd hate to see a business some of these "operations management gurus" around here run. No wonder so many businesses fail inside of 5 years.

[bertman]

94. I'm a co-owner of a multi-million dollar a year company. In the worst year on record

for our region, our company turned a profit when close to 30% of other local businesses in our line of work went under and probably 60% of them laid off most of their employees. That was 2009, Happy Hippy.

Out of eleven employees (including my partner and myself) we only laid off two employees for two months and offered both of them their jobs back within 8 weeks. So please tell me more about "break-even" analysis. Maybe I was doing something terribly wrong that I didn't know about.

[Happy Hippy]

95. Sure

Perhaps if you understood the basics of managerial accounting you would have been more successful. Is that even a slight possibility? Someone who would ignore VCs and FCs in this analysis is highly suspect.

[bertman]

98. More successful than what?

[Happy Hippy]

99. ....

than you currently are.

[taught_me_patience]

105. Your analysis is a bit too simple because you need to evaluate

the program against the opportunity cost of not selling the Bloomin Onion at full cost. The cost is not simply the material cost of the good.

[flvegan]

44. Trying to finish them off, eh Outback?

Shit "food"

[smalll]

45. Oh! It's giving me the vapors! Imagine if the OLIVE GARDEN started doing something like that!

The Olive Garden! "Military Veterans!"



The Poors! The Unstylish! The Unhip!

[cherokeeprogressive]

48. I will not denigrate ANY business that offers ANYTHING free to Veterans.

Ever. As a Veteran, I can appreciate the lack of appreciation that Veterans are shown in this country, and can CERTAINLY appreciate the hatred shown them here on this board in the form of posts calling them killers of innocents.

[ClassWarrior]

56. How about a business that exploits their military status to lure them in with a loss leader?

Is that okay with you?

:eyes:

NGU.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

85. So you're saying military veterans are too stupid to be trusted with their own money?

Huh.

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MineralMan]

52. I'm a vet. I checked with my wife.

She said "Ixnay on atthay." Onions have been known to force me to sleep on the couch. It's just a stinky fart, after all. I don't get it.

[LiberalFighter]

59. Nobody brought up Outback's political affiliation

Republican

[Happy Hippy]

74. .....

It's a shame more progressive organization's don't do more for the military. Regardless of politics, I don't understand why we have to bash anything a company does for the military.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

90. Maybe because those other companies choose to view all of their customers as of equal value?

And just go on with their business with no politically-motivated pandering? You think that's "bashing"?

[lame54]

60. those are hard to eat with one hand

[CanonRay]

61. Outback is owned by a right winger

I believe he was a Bush pioneer.

[depakid]

103. Yep

[tabasco]

72. Why does Outback hate veterans?

I'm gonna get me some!!

[Posteritatis]

76. I kinda like what the local restaurants do

Every so often they'll have something where they charge 1945 prices for vets (not necessarily WWII ones only, mind). I think the last time was the 60th anniversary of V-E day, but they've done it a few times before, and are pretty good about doing something more substantial than, well, an onion at other times.

[tomm2thumbs]

79. liquorless drinks is what we encountered - never going back again - don't need to be cheated twice

and the irony is that they were sitting right next to a BevMo with liquor ready to go

[Nailzberg]

84. So I should be upset about this?

If I'm going out to dinner, I should go to Fridays because at least they are charging for their appetizer, so I know I'm not being exploited. That seems to be what people are suggesting.

[KittyWampus]

104. I love your post and thank you for it whoever you are with the Banana on a Segway

[canetoad]

91. Off topic but..

Is this supposed to be Aussie food? Where's the pie & sauce, the sliced beetroot, the flake and chips, vegemite, dim sims?

[FailureToCommunicate]

96. And a cold Fosters!

[depakid]

102. No- it's just a crass maketing campaign by a right wing corporation to create an image

The food isn't remotely Australian- nor is management's attitude. Poor wages and several years back, they were caught in a scandal whereby coerced "contributions" to far right, anti-union groups was required before anyone would even be considered for advancement.

(It's also worth noting that the vast majority of their workers earn a about 1/3 of what the comparable Aussie does for the same types of jobs).

[FailureToCommunicate]

97. Considering you are getting an ENTIRE days calories in (part) of that appetizer, it's not

a bad deal, as long as you stopped your meal there. However, besides the flatulence issue there is the real possibility of that much grease forcing your gall bladder to squeeze out a stone or two to block up your liver. Then things can get really interesting...
On the bright side, you get to see how good your health care provider is; and all the nice nurses at your local hospital! (This just happened to me)

[taught_me_patience]

106. I don't understand many of the responses in this thread

A company is giving a free good to veterans... WHY THE HELL ARE PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS?

[WolverineDG]

107. Because they need something to complain about nt