Outback Steakhouse opens at Grove 98 in Wake Forest

Outback Steakhouse is open at Grove 98 in Wake Forest. The restaurant sits at 680 Richland Grove Ave., on an outparcel at the northeastern edge of the Wegmans-anchored center at Highway 98 and Ligon Mill Road, and the chain’s corporate locations page now lists the Wake Forest Outback Steakhouse as now open with full hours, a phone number and online ordering.

In May 2026, the Wake Forest Business & Industry Partnership announced the restaurant and said it could open as early as summer. Neither the partnership nor Bloomin’ Brands, the Tampa, Fla., company that owns Outback, has published an opening date, and the partnership’s development activity page still describes the outparcel as under construction.

Hours, phone and what the restaurant offers

According to the company’s locations page, the Wake Forest restaurant keeps these hours:

• Monday through Thursday, it is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, it is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Sunday, it is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The phone number is (919) 435-3031. The same page lists online ordering, curbside takeaway, delivery, WiFi and gift cards. The menu is built around steak and the Bloomin’ Onion, the fried onion appetizer the chain is known for.

Outback has operated for 38 years and has about 1,000 restaurants worldwide, according to the partnership’s May announcement. Bloomin’ Brands also owns Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Elizabeth Daly, the company’s director of communications, said in the announcement that Outback looked forward to joining the Wake Forest community and becoming part of everyday moments for its neighbors.

The Grove 98 restaurant is the chain’s only location in Wake Forest, according to its locations page. That page lists other Outback restaurants in the area:

• The Outback Steakhouse on Capital Boulevard is at 5200 Capital Blvd. in Raleigh.
• The Outback Steakhouse on Creedmoor Road is at 7500 Creedmoor Road in Raleigh.
• The Outback Steakhouse in Cary is at 901 Walnut St.

What else is open at Grove 98

Grove 98 covers nearly 100 acres along the Highway 98 Bypass in Wake Forest and is anchored by a Wegmans store of more than 100,000 square feet that held its grand opening in June 2022, according to the partnership’s development activity page. Jason Cannon, the partnership’s president, said in the May announcement, “Grove 98 has shifted the center of gravity of Wake Forest’s retail sector considerably.” He credited Stiles’ partnership with Wegmans for getting the project started.

The development activity page lists these Grove 98 tenants as open:

• The Wegmans at 11051 Ligon Mill Road is open from 6 a.m. to midnight every day and has a pharmacy, according to the store’s website.
• The Sleep Number store sells mattresses and bedding at 505 Dr. Calvin Jones Hwy., Suite 130, directly across from Wegmans, according to the company’s store page.
• The Torchy’s Tacos and Nothing Bundt Cakes shops share the northwest quadrant with Sleep Number.
• The One Medical office at 515 Dr. Calvin Jones Hwy., Suite 110, offers primary care for adults and children and works with Duke Health on specialty care, according to its website.
• The CAVA restaurant serves Mediterranean bowls and pitas in the same building as One Medical.
• The Ideal Dental office is at 515 Dr. Calvin Jones Hwy., Suite 120, in that same building, according to its website.
• The O2 Fitness club at 11136 Ligon Mill Road, in the northeast quadrant near the Outback outparcel, covers about 40,000 square feet, according to the company’s website.

The page shows the northwest quadrant as fully leased and built except for one outparcel, where it says a Whataburger is coming. It says every retail space in the northeast quadrant is leased. The partnership’s May announcement also named Summer Moon Coffee and Five Guys among the center’s tenants.

Firebirds is next

A second sit-down chain is due at Grove 98 within days. Firebirds Wood Fired Grill plans to open its 74th restaurant at 1311 Grove Village Road at the end of September, according to a September post from the partnership. The post says the Wake Forest restaurant uses a new, lighter and brighter design with wood grain in its furniture, fixtures and artwork, and that the chain expects to have 76 restaurants by the end of 2026.

Firebirds’ corporate page for Wake Forest is live but does not give an opening date or hours. On September 11, 2026, WRAL reported that the restaurant, next to Wegmans near Highway 98 and Ligon Mill Road, may be open by the end of September.