Outback opening ‘new and improved’ Santa Fe restaurant next week

Cerca Trova Restaurant Concepts is opening an updated version of Outback Steakhouse on Monday, April 23, in Santa Fe.

The new location outside the Santa Fe Place mall, 4250 Cerrillos Road, incorporates a next-generation design apart from the “sea of sameness in casual dining,” said Cerca Trova chief marketing officer Josh Kern. The restaurant will have a new cocktail menu, craft beers and menu items inspired by local cuisine, according to a company news release.

Kern said most employees of the previous Outback location stayed with the restaurant. Outback Steakhouse on Camino Entrada, about a half-mile south of the new location, closed April 9, Kern said. The new location will employ about 125, he said. Pay starts at minimum wage.

Kern said the new location offered several advantages that fit with a goal to update the restaurant itself. Lease rates at the mall were competitive, plus the visitor traffic there provides additional exposure, he added.

“The number of cars coming by, what sort of commuters are there, we try to have a healthy balance between lunch and dinner,” Kern said. “All those factors pointed to that being the right place to be.”

The new Santa Fe restaurant, at 6,500 square feet, will be about 1,000 square feet larger than its predecessor. “We’ve adapted,” he said. The franchise wants “to attract a new customer into a brand that’s been around 20-plus years.”

The new Outback will include a patio with fire pits and technology designed to help Outback stay competitive with fast-casual restaurants and streamline the customer experience, Kern said. Touch screens at each table will permit diners to order appetizers, cocktails and other beverages and dessert; hand-held devices allow patio servers to send orders directly to the kitchen for faster service, he said.

Because the restaurant is located in Santa Fe, “you can get your steak topped with green or red chile,” Kern said.