Florida man orders Outback Steakhouse after a long day at work. Then he looks in his to-go bag: ‘It just can’t get much worse’

A Florida man says his attempt to unwind with an Outback Steakhouse takeout dinner turned into a series of missing items, disappointing food, and a broken plastic fork. TikTok creator Dax Maddox (@daxmaddox) described the experience in a video that has been viewed nearly 90k times as of publication.

According to Maddox’s account, he ordered an Outback Steakhouse meal after a long day at work and returned to his hotel. The first problem became apparent when he opened the bag and discovered that his sweet potato was missing.

Maddox said the restaurant had included the toppings and other items associated with the side but left out the sweet potato itself. He also said his order included a salad but no silverware. Maddox found a plastic fork in his hotel room and used it to eat the salad.

Then Maddox tried a crouton.

The plastic created further challenges. According to Maddox, the croutons were so hard that he broke the plastic fork while eating. At that point, he summed up the experience with the line, “It just can’t get much worse.”

To resolve similar issues, Outback Steakhouse directs customers with concerns to its Guest Relations system through its official website. The company does not appear to publish a blanket policy guaranteeing refunds for every incorrect or incomplete order. 

Better Business Bureau records show that Outback locations have processed or offered refunds in response to some customer complaints. In a May 2026 BBB complaint, Outback said it had processed a full refund in response to a customer’s report of an unsatisfactory experience.

Another January 2026 complaint involving a takeout order with missing items and no utensils. Outback told the BBB that the location had processed a refund. 

Customer reviews from individual Outback locations also document complaints involving missing items, cold food, incorrect orders, and missing utensils. Recent examples appear on Grubhub pages for restaurants in California, New York, Maryland, and other states.

Customer discussions on Reddit also reflect mixed experiences. Some diners praise their local Outback for consistently good steaks, while others describe inconsistent steak preparation and service problems.

Those reviews show that customers at multiple locations have reported similar problems. They do not establish that the issues are widespread across the entire Outback Steakhouse chain. Maddox doesn’t clarify the specific Outback location he ordered from.

After describing the missing sweet potato, absent utensils, and broken fork, Maddox ended his TikTok post by criticizing the restaurant for the experience. His final assessment was blunt: “So thank you, Outback, for ruining my whole life.”