The Beef Cut Outback Steakhouse Only Sells On Weekends

Most Outback Steakhouse locations are open seven days a week, and customers flock to them for the chain's affordable yet flavorful steaks. However, that doesn't mean you can order every cut of meat on any day. If you're craving the chain's prime rib, you'll have to stop in on a weekend to get it — and it's only available while supplies last.

At one point, Outback sold its prime rib any day of the week. The chain eventually stopped, and while the company never specifically said why, consumers suspect it had something to do with the amount of waste and time involved in properly cutting and preparing it. The change could also have been due to a lack of demand on weekdays. Plus, it can be challenging to carve the same-sized prime rib every time, so it's possible that it just became too much for the restaurant's kitchen to serve every day. "The problem is that prime rib is kinda expensive and most restaurants don't have [it] together with loading, carving, and managing waste," one steak fan surmised on Reddit. Another user on the thread agreed. "I'm glad they kept it on weekends, but I actually think the corporate folks were right this time."

If you want an Outback Steakhouse prime rib, you should plan to arrive early for dinner service. People have said they often try to order the prime rib, only to find it's already done for the evening. The special cut can take a decent amount of time to prepare; at chains like Texas Roadhouse, it takes more than a day, so the kitchen can't just whip up a prime rib on command the way it can with other steak cuts. Once it's sold out, it's gone until the next batch is ready. "I miss it terribly, and then when I go on the weekends it's all sold out," one Redditor attested. Unfortunately, weekends aren't the best days to eat at Outback, precisely because the restaurant gets so busy.

To make sure you snag some prime rib, it's worth calling the restaurant to confirm whether it's still available. It also doesn't hurt to ask the host when you'll have the best chance of scoring a slab (most likely at the beginning of the night, before too many people have had a chance to order it), and then plan your Outback trip around that. Should you manage to order one, you'll receive a 12- or 16-ounce portion of slow-roasted beef served with a cup of au jus, a choice of potato, and another side. Customers online highlight its tenderness and its peppery herb crust, which complements the cut's robust flavor.