Steve Muhlbaum is the Chief Operating Officer of Out West Restaurant Group, a licensed franchisee of Outback Steakhouse, the largest franchisee of the brand. Steve has decades of multi-unit operations management and finance leadership experience in the casual dining industry. Before his current role, Steve was Vice President of Operations at Friendly’s Ice Cream. Additionally, he was a Regional Director of Operations and Senior Financial Analyst for Darden Red Lobster, where he was awarded the Darden Leadership Excellence Award in 2005, 2010, and 2012.