Outback Steakhouses Serve a Steak and Shrimp Dinner to Thousands of U.S. Troops in Afghanistan –Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
The story is that Outback Steakhouses joined arms with the military and flew thousands of steaks, shrimp, onions, beverage, and dessert to Kandahar in Afghanistan to give the troops a break from T-rations.
The Truth:
This story is true. The most commonly-circulated version of the eRumor is the text of an article published in the St. Petersburg Times on July 2, 2002 and written by Tamara Lush. Employees volunteered from several Outback Steakhouses from around the country to make the journey that took three days one-way. Most of the food was donated by Outback’s vendors and Outback took care of the rest, according to the article. The result was that nearly seven thousand meals were served featuring ribeye steak, shrimp, and even Outback’s signature Bloomin’ Onion. Outback brought more than 13,000 cans of nonalcoholic beer (the real stuff isn’t allowed on the base) and capped off the meal with cheesecake. It was a widely appreciated break from the rations the troops are normally served.