OSI Restaurant Partners Inc. Sizzles With New Network

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Verizon Business Monday (March 19) announced a multiyear, $12 million contract to provide Private IP Services to OSI Restaurant Partners Inc., one of the largest casual dining restaurant companies in the world, with seven restaurant concepts, nearly 1,200 systemwide restaurants and annual revenues of $3.6 billion. The new network, managed by Verizon Business, enables OSI to link its restaurant and business operations across the United States and leverage the performance and operational attributes of an all-IP networking infrastructure.

Under the contract, Verizon Business is deploying an MPLS-based Private IP network as a key strategic infrastructure building block to provide reliable communications between all OSI locations, including Outback Steakhouse, Carraba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Lee Roy Selmon's and Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits restaurants. In addition, the communications infrastructure is delivering increased efficiency and enhanced network performance, while helping OSI reduce its total cost of ownership.

Verizon Business was involved in every facet of OSI's network deployment and utilized its extensive professional services capabilities -- including Hardware Sourcing and Logistics, Custom Installation Services and Certified Project Management -- to successfully deploy an end-to-end communications infrastructure.

"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, chief information officer of OSI Restaurant Partners Inc. "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. The Verizon Business team is a key strategic partner and is providing an essential building block of our store infrastructure strategy."

Steve Young, senior vice president of corporate and government markets for Verizon Business, said, "Verizon Business networking services enable business customers like OSI to benefit from the move to IP. With Verizon Business, OSI now has a better way to support its business model while enhancing operational efficiencies."

With Verizon Business' managed Private IP service, OSI can also take advantage of traffic prioritization and future deployment of advanced services, such as voice over IP (VoIP) and distance learning.

Verizon Business manages more than 3,600 customer networks in 142 countries, overseeing more than 25,000 non-Verizon connections from more than 60 network providers around the world. Verizon Business' industry-leading service-level commitments and award-winning IMPACT management platform underscore a legacy of service and innovation. The company is the recipient of the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Customer Service Leadership Award for Managed Services and has also been listed by Gartner Inc. in the leaders quadrant of a report titled "Magic Quadrant for U.S. Managed and Professional Network Service Providers, 1H06¹."*

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.

About OSI Restaurant Partners, Inc.
Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the company was founded in 1988 and today operates 953 Outback Steakhouses (domestic and international), 232 Carrabba's Italian Grills, 126 Bonefish Grills, 48 Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bars, 23 Roy's, 39 Cheeseburger In Paradises, six Lee Roy Selmon's and two Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits restaurants.

¹. Gartner Research "Magic Quadrant for U.S. Managed and Professional Network Service Providers, 1H06" by E. Goodness, D. Neil and D. Willis. July 11, 2006

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*The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted July 11, 2006 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.