Outback Steakhouse will shutter its U.S. restaurants on Thanksgiving and Christmas, a two-day holiday pause that leaves diners hunting for open steakhouses while staff get time off.
The Sun reported that Outback will close for two separate federal holidays over the coming months, on November 26 and December 25, across its U.S. footprint described as 660 locations.
The chain is not alone. Olive Garden, Red Robin, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Texas Roadhouse, Chick-fil-A, Cheesecake Factory, Chipotle, and LongHorn Steakhouse are also listed among restaurants shutting down on both dates.
For families that treat a steakhouse meal as the easy holiday plan, the message is simple: call ahead or stay home. Walk-up diners who skip that step risk wasting a trip.
Outback’s closures mark Thanksgiving and Christmas as days the business will not serve. That choice puts employee time with family ahead of holiday covers, a trade many households understand even when it scrambles dinner plans.
Brand moves still matter to regulars watching the chain’s direction, including Outback’s recent push for better beef on the menu side of the business.
Diners who want Outback hours on the days before the holidays should check November 25 or December 24 with a local restaurant or the chain’s locator tool. Early closes can still cut a normal dinner window short.
Olive Garden is closing for both Thanksgiving and Christmas as well. The chain warns that individual restaurants may shut early the day before, and it typically leaves those calls to franchise owners when business is light enough to send people home to their families.
Texas Roadhouse, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, and LongHorn Steakhouse are described as closed for both holidays. Most Cheesecake Factory locations are closed on both days too.
That list covers casual dining, fast casual, and steakhouse traffic alike. It is a wide slice of American chain food going dark on the same two dates.
Location cuts have already thinned some markets, from Baltimore’s last Outback exit to other Bloomin’ Brands trims, so holiday hours are not the only change regulars have had to track.
Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Red Robin, and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen join the November 26 and December 25 closure list as well. Shared ownership ties some of those names to Outback under the same broader company umbrella diners already know from the steakhouse brand.
One steakhouse rival is taking the opposite path. Saltgrass Steak House says it will remain open on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
On Christmas, the chain’s website states its position in plain terms.
Saltgrass says on its site:
"Saltgrass Steak House is open on Christmas Day, and we offer our full menu. Hours may vary, so please call your local Saltgrass for details."
Thanksgiving is open too, with a holiday menu pitch aimed at guests who still want a turkey plate without cooking every side at home.
The same site tells customers:
"Saltgrass Steak House is open on Thanksgiving Day."
It also advertises dine-in Turkey Dinner Plates for Thanksgiving only, plus a Thanksgiving Family Pack that customers can pre-order and pick up to finish at home. Those family packs are only at participating locations, and hours can still vary by restaurant, so a phone call remains the safe step.
Parent-company footprint questions keep surfacing in industry coverage, including reports on how Bloomin’ Brands has closed more restaurants while managing Outback and sister concepts.
Holiday shutdowns are temporary. Permanent closures are not, and several communities have already watched Outback addresses go dark for good.
Shoppers in Ohio saw that up close when the Canton Outback prepared to close in October after roughly two decades, another reminder that chain hours and chain maps both change.
A matching close-out timeline ran under separate coverage of the same site’s final days, including a report that Outback would shut the Canton location on October 11.
Against that backdrop, a nationwide two-day holiday pause is easier to read: confirm the doors are open before you leave the house, especially on November 25, November 26, December 24, and December 25.
Outback’s own guidance points customers to the local restaurant or the locator search when they need opening times around those dates. That is basic due diligence, not fine print.
Chains that close on major holidays are making a clear labor choice. Chains that stay open are making a clear customer choice. Adults can plan around either model if they bother to check.
Family time still ranks ahead of a last-minute Bloomin’ Onion run, and any diner who assumes otherwise on Thanksgiving or Christmas is gambling with an empty parking lot.