Bloomin' Brands Inc, owner of the Outback Steakhouse chain of restaurants, saw its share price rise 3% to $28.06 in early Wednesday trading after Dave George, former chief operating officer of Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI), and Starboard Value partner Jon Sagal were appointed to the company's board of directors. The appointments were made as part of a cooperation agreement between Bloomin' Brands and Starboard, which owns about 9.7% of the company's outstanding common shares. In addition, Bloomin' Brands announced the formation of an Operating Committee within its board of directors, which will work with management to identify and recommend opportunities for further improvement related to various corporate and operational matters. Dave George will serve as the Committee's chairperson, and Jon Sagal and current directors Mike Mohan and John Mahoney have been appointed as members, the company added.