From left, Outback founders Basham, Gannon and Sullivan, in a 1996 photo.

OSI Restaurant Partners, parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill and six other chains, is going private in a $3.2-billion deal.

An investor group including Bain Capital Partners, Catterton Partners and Outback founders Chris Sullivan, Robert Basham and Tim Gannon, will pay $40 a share for the company.