Bloomin’ Brands
Optimizes Its Operations in Brazil with Dynamics 365
The company behind the Outback and Abbraccio brands adopted Microsoft’s enterprise management solution prior to the pandemic, gaining stability, agility, and digital maturity.
Modernizing Management to Support Growth and Digitalization
Bloomin’ Brands is a U.S.-based casual dining company operating over 1,400 restaurants worldwide, including 116 locations in Brazil under the Outback and Abbraccio brands.
In 2018, the company recognized the need to modernize its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The legacy solution, used since 2009 and based on an on-premises model, no longer offered the stability or robustness required to support the group’s expanding operations.
Microsoft’s solutions were selected not only to modernize management but also to ensure operational continuity and deliver a more sophisticated digital experience—elements that proved essential during the social distancing measures imposed by the pandemic.
“We made it a priority to complete this process with no or minimal customizations. Microsoft’s team helped us validate best practices, always with the goal of keeping the system clean so it could become our definitive ERP.”
Challenge: Ensuring Operational Stability and Nationwide Remote Access
Bloomin’ Brands’ main challenge was to replace its legacy system with a robust and scalable solution that would:
– Ensure operational stability at the scale of its operations
– Integrate with external tools, such as logistics providers and credit card processors
– Enable remote access for restaurant partners and local staff
– Automate formerly manual processes, including invoice and bill approvals
Additionally, the company sought to keep customizations to a minimum to preserve system integrity and adopt Dynamics 365 as its definitive ERP.
Solution: Dynamics 365 Integrated with Azure and Power BI
In partnership with Nexer Brazil and Microsoft, Bloomin’ Brands implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 as its new ERP platform.
Key components of the solution included:
– Dynamics 365 in the cloud: Provided system stability and remote access for partners and unit managers
– Azure Logic Apps: Facilitated seamless integration between the ERP and front-end systems like logistics and payment tools
– Power BI: Significantly improved data processing performance and operational tracking, with always-updated dashboards accessible via the web
The solution also enabled the automation of previously manual workflows. Tasks such as purchase order, invoice, and bill approvals—once requiring physical signatures—can now be completed via mobile devices.
Results: Stability, Governance, and Digital Efficiency
Implementing Dynamics 365 delivered measurable benefits to Bloomin’ Brands’ operations:
Operational continuity: Stability across all units—even during lockdown—allowed stores to operate without disruptions
Remote accessibility: Partners and staff could access the system to perform tasks such as inventory counts and P&L reviews
Process automation: Manual approval of invoices and bills was replaced by digital workflows, enabling fully remote operation
Jaqueline Almeida emphasized:
“Manually approving invoices and bills wouldn’t have been possible during remote work. The implementation also raised the company’s governance standards. The more transparent our back-office operations are, the better.”
Beyond operational efficiency, usability was a highlight:
“It’s very user-friendly. I’m really satisfied. Replacing our ERP with a cloud solution was a corporate goal—and now we see we’re ahead of the curve and continue to lead trends in the casual dining sector.”
As Marcos Faustino, Applications Manager, added:
“Azure Logic Apps was a key component in the process.”
With this new technology structure, Bloomin’ Brands has positioned itself as a digitally mature company ready to lead innovation in casual dining.