National Steakhouse Restaurant Closes Eastern Iowa Location

A popular national steakhouse chain known for its steaks and the occasional nod to Australian culture has closed its location in Cedar Rapids.

Who doesn't remember the commercials for Outback Steakhouse? Their slogan, 'No Rules, Just Right' was seemingly everywhere. Images of boomerangs and kangaroos were all part of the Aussie rules that the restaurant tapped into. Heck, they even had a college football bowl game named after them! If you're a Hawkeye fan, you probably have even been to an Outback Bowl as Iowa has played in the bowl game six times, most recently in 2019. But Outback ended their sponsorship of the bowl game in 2022. Now it appears its Cedar Rapids location is gone for good too.

Rumors that circulated on social media were confirmed with a sign posted on the door of the Cedar Rapids location. A quick check of Outback's website shows that the Cedar Rapids location is no longer listed. Iowa Outback restaurants can still be found in Ankeny, Clive, and Sioux City.

Outback used to be a restaurant that my family would go to on occasion. But admittedly, it had been three or four years since we'd gone out to eat there. While many complained online about the quality of food, I can honestly say that all my steaks at Outback were pretty good. And I grew up on a farm that raised beef cattle! But the past several years have been tough on the restaurant industry, and national chains feel the pain too.

I'll miss you, Bloomin' Onion.