DETROIT — It’s 4 p.m. on an autumn Friday, and that means one thing for Kerry Hyder: time to take a trip down under.
Hyder pulls into the parking lot of an Outback Steakhouse, the Aussie-theme chain known for its campy commercials and 800-calorie fried onion. His wife, Jasmine, has their sleeping 2-year-old daughter, Giavonna, pinned at her hip as the family struts into the restaurant an hour before the early-bird crowd. They make their way to a corner booth unrecognized and, with no delay, put in their order for a Bloomin’ Onion.
Hyder stretches his arms along the stiff upholstered booth bench and grins.