Farewell to a Local Legend: Naples’ Original Outback Steakhouse Closes After 30 Years

NAPLES, Fla. — For more than three decades, the comforting glow of the Outback Steakhouse sign on U.S. 41 North meant something special to Naples locals — a familiar spot where birthdays were toasted, Bloomin’ Onions were shared, and countless evenings ended with laughter over a frosty pint. On October 26, that light went out for good.

The original Outback Steakhouse at 4910 U.S. 41 N. has permanently closed after more than 30 years of serving the community — a quiet ending for a place that once roared with life.

At its peak, the restaurant was a local institution. Lines often wrapped around the building, the bar buzzed with regulars who knew every bartender by name, and the scent of grilled steaks seemed to linger in the parking lot long after closing. This was not just another chain restaurant — this was the Outback.

In its heyday, the Naples location ranked among the company’s top performers nationwide, both for bar sales and overall business. It was the kind of place where you could bump into half your neighborhood, or celebrate your kid’s first job, or sit quietly at the bar after a long week and feel a little less alone.

The restaurant’s success helped pave the way for two more Outback locations in Collier County — one in South Naples at Triangle Boulevard (opened in 2014) and another in Founders Square (opened in 2022). Both of those will continue serving diners, but for many locals, they simply aren’t the same.

On its final evening, longtime patrons stopped by to say goodbye, some just to see the place one last time. There were hugs, a few tears, and plenty of “remember whens.” Staff members — some of whom had worked there for decades — cleared tables for the last time, wiping down memories that will linger far longer than any stain on a tabletop.

In a city where change seems to come faster every year, the closing feels like another piece of old Naples quietly slipping away.

The neon kangaroo may be gone from the highway, but for many, the memories remain — of laughter echoing off those wood-paneled walls, of familiar faces behind the bar, and of a time when a night at Outback was more than just dinner.

It was home.