Founded 18 years ago and now serving over 18,000 meals based on steak each week across their eight restaurants in Sydney and Brisbane, Outback Steakhouse must be doing something right to satisfy their customers.
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A significant part of that satisfaction must be put down to the quality of the beef the company sources from Cargill Teys Australia, according to Mike Palmer, operating partner Outback Steakhouse.
“Obviously with Steakhouse above the front door of the restaurants, it is all about the quality of the product and we have been working pretty much exclusively with Cargill Teys for 18 years since we were established,” Mr Palmer said.
“We find we get a consistent product, the eating quality is consistently at a high level and we are buying direct from Teys so we age our beef in a cold store and distribute to our restaurants.”
Mr Palmer noted the importance of the connection with Cargill Teys allows full traceability of the meat served through the restaurants so Outback Steakhouse customers are aware of the provenance of their meals.
“We get some grain-fed beef along with a lot of grass-fed beef,” he said.
“And we are working with the guys at Teys to really keep ahead of the market with any new trends in beef production.”
We are working with the guys at Teys to really keep ahead of the market with any new trends in beef production
- Mike Palmer
Provenance of their steaks is a big selling point for Outback Steakhouse and their customers are responding to the known quality.
“We have seen the trend toward eating quality over the past five years or so that people are more demanding and more knowledgeable about the meals they wish to eat,” Mr Palmer said.
“They want to know where the cattle have come from.”
The source of the cattle is also important for the chefs and waitresses serving the meals, and that is why Mr Palmer regularly takes groups to visit the properties where the beef is produced.
With a lot of staff across the eight restaurants, he said it is important they each have an understanding of the logistics involved in producing beef with known consistency.
Mr Palmer was leading a group through the Jindalee Feedlot near Stockinbingal after having visited the processing plant in Wagga Wagga, each owned and operated by Cargill Teys.
“We regularly come down here to educate them on the quality and how beef is produced,” he said.
“We can see from paddock-to-plate which is nearly the full gambit of how it is looked after and then ends up in our kitchens.
“We make sure our cooking techniques are the best in order to showcase that beef in the right way and do justice to the animal.”
Chefs see source of customer delight
Ensuring his staff have a greater understanding of the meals they are preparing and serving, Mike Palmer, operating partner Outback Steakhouse, takes groups on regular visits to the source of the steak.
“Coming here to the feedlot, we can introduce them to the nuances of management involved in producing beef of a very consistent quality,” he said.
“I think they can then talk with integrity to our customers about the product and that helps sell our service.”
Mr Palmer said if the company is to endure for the next 18 years, staff education helps with the longevity of those staff.
“It is important to give them the opportunities to see first hand the operations of an abattoir and the feedlot which is working at full capacity,” he said.
