Outback Steakhouse can get an actor to dine with you if your friend flakes out

UPDATE: Outback Steakhouse wrapped up its ReplaceMates campaign by replacing a woman’s flaky friend with a paid actor so they could enjoy dinner together on Mate Day (May 8). Check out the video here. Original story is below. A post shared by Outback Steakhouse (@outback) Original story below: Constantly finding yourself stood up by friends who agree to share a Bloomin’ Onion, then back out at the last minute? Outback Steakhouse has a fix for that. Working with agency Mischief, the Aussie-themed restaurant chain is offering to send an actor in your friend’s place, so you can still have that Bloomin’ Onion—along with a side dish of person-you-don’t-know (but who might still be fun to hang with for an hour or two?). Consumers can visit Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok and tag their flakiest friend (by the end of today—April 25) for a chance to win a “ReplaceMate,” described as a “method actor” who will join you in your friend’s place for a free meal at Outback on May 8, which has been deemed “Mate Day.” The dinner might (though hopefully won’t) go something like this: Only one winner will get to dine with a ReplaceMate, so the chances of winning are pretty limited. But 10 other contestants will win $100 Outback Steakhouse e-gift card, and 20 more will get $50 cards. “May 8 sounds a bit like ‘mate’ when said in an Aussie accent, which was enough for Outback to introduce Mate Day, a day of friendship,” said James Leake, associate creative director at Mischief. “To commemorate this, we’re introducing ReplaceMates—a service where you can hire method actors to fill in for your flaky friends—a problem we’re all too familiar with as we get older. Why should your friend being busy stop you from enjoying a good night out with them?” The contest follows other quirky Outback campaigns from Mischief, including a self-deprecating effort touting the chain’s strong results in a customer satisfaction survey and an Elf on the Shelf spoof, the Koala on the Walla, for the holidays.

Outback Steakhouse can get an actor to dine with you if your friend flakes out

Featured Stories