Is Blue Martini or Outback Steakhouse cheaper to open?

Blue Martini costs $3,390,500–$12,990,500 and Outback Steakhouse costs $4,303,000–$8,419,000 to open (FDD Item 7). Blue Martini has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, Blue Martini or Outback Steakhouse?

FranchiseVerdict grades Blue Martini B and Outback Steakhouse B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Blue Martini vs Outback Steakhouse

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Blue Martini and Outback Steakhouse are full-service restaurants franchises. Blue Martini requires an investment of $3.4M – $13.0M while Outback Steakhouse requires $4.3M – $8.4M. Neither Blue Martini nor Outback Steakhouse makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD — a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule — so the two cannot be compared on disclosed unit revenue. FranchiseVerdict rates Blue Martini B (Above average) and Outback Steakhouse B (Above average).

Metric	Blue Martini	Outback Steakhouse
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	BAbove average
Investment Range	$3.4M – $13.0M	$4.3M – $8.4M
Franchise Fee	$50K	$40K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/ANo Item 19 representation	N/ANo Item 19 representation
SBA Charge-Off Rate	Limited data	N/A
Total Units	8	688
Unit Growth (YoY)	+0 units	-1 units
Year Began Franchising	2017	1993
FDD Year	2025	2024