Primary Job Title Co-Founder Primary Organization 
Outback Steakhouse
Gender Male
Investor Type Investor Stage
A founder of the Outback Steakhouse restaurant company, Chris Sullivan is now president and CEO of the firm, which operates 550 restaurants worldwide, as well as 65 Carrabba’s Italian Grills and other hospitality-related firms. He is a partner with Bob Basham and Tim Gannon in running the company, which ranks in the top 20 restaurant chains in the
world.
His restaurant management career started in 1972 when he went to work for Steak and Ale, eventually becoming executive vice president of the S & A Restaurant Group. Later, he was general manager for Bennigan’s.
Next, he and Basham launched a new venture called Sunstate Restaurant Corporation to develop and operate Chili’s restaurants in Florida and Georgia. Sunstate was later purchased by Chili’s.
An avid golfer, he founded the Old Memorial Golf Club, a new club with Basham and Bob Merritt in 1997.
He is involved in a number of business and civic organizations including the Florida Council of 100, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors for the Florida Council on Economic Education and the Employment Policies Institute, and serves on the Capital Campaign Committee for the Lowry Park Zoo.
He is a partner and serves on the executive committee of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was instrumental in Outback Steakhouse’s sponsorship of the annual Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day in Tampa, which has featured the University of Kentucky Wildcats.
Chris T. Sullivan was inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni on May 19, 2000.
