Outback’s South Texas Joint-Venture Partner Steve Miller (19 units) probably gets teased about his name more than anybody I know. “So, Steve, How’s the Band doing? Steve, Please Stay a Little Bit Longer. Yada, yada, yada.” He takes it all in stride. Yet I see in Outback’s Steve Miller characteristics that I’m certain the famous songwriter-singer also possesses: Passion, ceaseless energy for life and true hospitality for making people happy.

Steve’s been an industry guest in several of the classes I teach at The Art Institute of Houston-Culinary, including Marketing and Career Development. He always does a great job of connecting with the students. While he’s very successful in business, he remains approachable and friendly. Maybe he inherited this trait from his father, a teacher.

I called Steve recently and asked him for some help with a class I’m currently teaching, Management By Menu, which focuses on developing a menu as the most critical marketing aspect a restaurant has. After all, nearly every guest wants to look at one thing before ordering: The Menu.

I had an idea that it would be fun and would engage/interest the students if we traced the evolution of Outback’s menu from its original (circa. 1991) to its current version. I wasn’t surprised when Steve said: “I’ve got them all. We’ve gone from about 39 items to 72 over the years.” My idea was to demonstrate that even with a highly successful chain, menu development is evolutionary, ongoing. Outback has naturally stayed with its powerful concept statement, which basically promises a 60 minute escape Down Under, but also over the years Outback has demonstrated a canny flexibility to adjust to changing food trends without diminishing its core concept.

Steve spent about 90 minutes discussing how adding items had added pressure to facilities and staff. A huge adjustment has been the prep needed to insure that Outback can meet its cooking time objectives. He also said the roles of the “Bloom man” had been extended—previously he/she just concentrated on producing Bloom’in Onions—and that the talent needed to be a successful Make Up Man (EXPO, Coordinator) had grown as the menu expanded. The roles of the other four cooking stations have been expanded dramatically as well.

All this has meant greater training time for all staff and potentially more food waste as the product line was extended. Yet, by broadening its appeal, Outback has expanded its target market and grown to some 800 stores in less than 15 years. To gain even a greater audience, Outback has been acquiring and expanding other brands like Fleming’s, Carrabba’s, Roy’s, Bonefish and more. Not bad for a few guys who wanted to build some restaurants in Tampa-St. Pete.

Then Steve offered up a bonus: An Outback menu from Japan. Did you know it costs more than 1,000 Yen for an “Onion” over there? It seems he’s taken up a habit of collecting menus as he’s traveled on business or vacation, and has a library of some 150 menus, he estimates.

Turns out Steve’s been “from Phoenix, Arizona all the way to Tacoma, Philadelphia, Atlanta, L.A…Keep on rocking me baby, Keep on rocking me baby!” Thanks, Steve, for giving back to the next generation of hospitality leaders!