| (
- ) |
| Inducted: |
2009 |
| Region: |
U.S. |
| Industry: |
Hospitality
Food |
|
Partners Tim Gannon, Bob Basham and Chris Sullivan founded the popular Outback Steakhouse restaurant chain in 1987 and the first Outback Restaurant opened in Tampa in 1988. Since then, the company has opened 1,479 restaurants, including Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's, Roy's, LeeRoy Selmon's, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Blue Coral, and Outback International.
Tim Gannon is a successful businessman, a great sportsman, and a staunch polo sponsor. He is senior vice president of Outback and in charge of all food operations for the chain. He is the creator of the "Bloomin' Onion" recipe and many of the other dishes on Outback's menu.
An alumnus of Florida State University, he studied art history but developed a passion for food and cooking. His career course was set when a chef at the Four Seasons Hotel offered to train him to be his assistant. Over the next 14 years, Gannon worked at Steak & Ale and Copeland's Cajun Cafe. In 1987, Gannon sold his saddle for $250 and arrived in Tampa, Florida, with $37 in his pocket to accept the offer to become a partner in the Outback Steakhouse enterprise.
Inc. magazine named Gannon its 1994 Entrepreneur of the Year. Other honors include the Florida Restaurant Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University, and induction in the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame.
Since 1992, Gannon was an avid polo player and sponsor of his own team, Outback Polo. In 2001, his team won their third US Open, and they hold five US Championships. |
