With Gators bowl win, free Bloomin’ Onions for all

For Gators fans across the country, the football team’s Outback Bowl win meant free Bloomin’ Onions on Tuesday.

Outback Steakhouse, which sponsored Monday’s game, gave out free servings of the fried onion bowls Tuesday in honor of UF’s 30-3 trouncing of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

As of press time, Gainesville’s Outback location at 3760 SW Archer Road gave out about 100 portions, but more were expected, said Erin Akins, the restaurant’s manager. The promotion was for dine-in customers only, Akins said. Customers had to make at least one purchase — as minimal as buying a drink — and mention the recent Gators win.

“We definitely won’t sell out of onions — we have so many here,” she said. “But I definitely think we’ll be selling a lot more.”

Daniel Bowen, a 21-year-old UF history senior, said he saw the promotion on a friend’s Facebook page.

He said he tried to make a reservation with his friend, but they were booked, and the wait time was about two hours.

“What we did was we just went and sat at the bar — there was no wait,” Bowen said.

He said he doesn’t go to Outback very often, but he enjoyed the promotion and what it stood for.

“It’s always nice when a business supports UF and helps provide these free promotions,” Bowen said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”

@Mary_Lou_W

mwatkinson@alligator.org