TAMPA Fla. Outback Steakhouse-parent OSI Restaurant Partners Inc. based here, operator and franchisor of nearly 1,200 full-service restaurants, will receive Internet Protocol, or IP, data network services from Verizon Business under a multi-year deal valued at $12 million, the vendor said.
"As our business evolves in today's ever-competitive marketplace, we need to make sure we are providing the ultimate dining experience," said Dusty Williams, OSI's chief information officer. "With one unified IP network across all of our locations, we are laying the foundation for future business initiatives that will improve the customer experience."
Adivision of New York-based Verizon Communications Inc., Verizon Business said it is deploying a private, multiprotocol label switching, or MPLS, network to link all domestic OSI locations, including Outback, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, among other concepts. Verizon said its managed network will permit OSI to take advantage of data traffic prioritization and deploy in the future advanced services, such as voice over IP, or VoIP, and online training.