Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information	Sep. 29, 2010	Nov. 01, 2010
Document and Entity Information
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 29, 2010
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Entity Registrant Name	BRINKER INTERNATIONAL INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000703351
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--06-25
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		92,316,147
Trading Symbol	eat

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 29, 2010	Jun. 30, 2010
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 215,069	$ 344,624
Accounts receivable	32,273	45,140
Inventories	26,674	26,735
Prepaid expenses and other	59,793	63,961
Income taxes receivable	9,588	0
Deferred income taxes	13,942	20,607
Total current assets	357,339	501,067
Property and Equipment at Cost:
Land	160,078	163,018
Buildings and leasehold improvements	1,379,535	1,367,646
Furniture and equipment	527,087	556,815
Construction-in-progress	3,045	11,870
Gross property and equipment	2,069,745	2,099,349
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(965,267)	(970,272)
Net property and equipment	1,104,478	1,129,077
Other Assets:
Goodwill	124,089	124,089
Deferred income taxes	42,884	44,213
Other	55,435	53,658
Total other assets	222,408	221,960
Total assets	1,684,225	1,852,104
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current installments of long-term debt	21,920	16,866
Accounts payable	79,150	112,824
Accrued liabilities	269,280	300,540
Income taxes payable	0	19,647
Total current liabilities	370,350	449,877
Long-term debt, less current installments	519,028	524,511
Other liabilities	148,961	148,968
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 7)
Shareholders' Equity:
Common stock - 250,000,000 authorized shares; $0.10 par value; 176,246,649 shares issued and 96,458,309 shares outstanding at September 29, 2010, and 176,246,649 shares issued and 101,571,588 shares outstanding at June 30, 2010	17,625	17,625
Additional paid-in capital	463,916	465,721
Retained earnings	1,930,725	1,923,561
Shareholders Equity Including Treasury Stock	2,412,266	2,406,907
Less treasury stock, at cost (79,788,340 shares at September 29, 2010 and 74,675,061 shares at June 30, 2010)	(1,766,380)	(1,678,159)
Total shareholders' equity	645,886	728,748
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 1,684,225	$ 1,852,104

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Sep. 29, 2010	Jun. 30, 2010
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Common stock, authorized shares	250,000,000	250,000,000
Common stock, par value	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Common stock, shares issued	176,246,649	176,246,649
Common stock, shares outstanding	96,458,309	101,571,588
Treasury stock, shares	79,788,340	74,675,061

Consolidated Statements of Income (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 29, 2010	Sep. 23, 2009
Consolidated Statements of Income
Revenues	$ 654,893	$ 696,543
Operating Costs and Expenses:
Cost of sales	174,480	199,874
Restaurant labor	217,146	231,249
Restaurant expenses	165,149	174,066
Depreciation and amortization	32,573	35,153
General and administrative	30,044	35,088
Other gains and charges	3,120	2,909
Total operating costs and expenses	622,512	678,339
Operating income	32,381	18,204
Interest expense	7,196	6,948
Other, net	(1,734)	(2,155)
Income before provision for income taxes	26,919	13,411
Provision for income taxes	5,488	3,132
Income from continuing operations	21,431	10,279
Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes	0	5,488
Net income	$ 21,431	$ 15,767
Basic net income per share:
Income from continuing operations	$ 0.21	$ 0.10
Income from discontinued operations	$ 0	$ 0.05
Net income per share	$ 0.21	$ 0.15
Diluted net income per share:
Income from continuing operations	$ 0.21	$ 0.10
Income from discontinued operations	$ 0	$ 0.05
Net income per share	$ 0.21	$ 0.15
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	100,667	102,243
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	101,556	103,016
Cash dividends per share	$ 0.14	$ 0.11

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 29, 2010	Sep. 23, 2009
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net income	$ 21,431	$ 15,767
Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes	0	(5,488)
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	32,573	35,153
Restructure charges and other impairments	3,007	2,841
Stock-based compensation	3,959	4,784
Deferred income taxes	7,854	3,633
(Gain) on sale of assets	(903)	0
Changes in assets and liabilities, excluding effects of dispositions:
Accounts receivable	12,820	13,014
Inventories	61	2,127
Prepaid expenses and other	4,791	9,459
Other assets	(116)	246
Accounts payable	(28,956)	(17,863)
Accrued liabilities	(33,317)	(13,460)
Current income taxes	(29,936)	2,331
Other liabilities	96	2,746
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	(6,636)	55,290
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Payments for property and equipment	(15,628)	(11,280)
Proceeds from sale of assets	3,243	0
Investment in equity method investee	(1,556)	0
Net cash used in investing activities	(13,941)	(11,280)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Purchases of treasury stock	(94,536)	(2,819)
Payments of dividends	(14,557)	(11,882)
Payments on long-term debt	(282)	(272)
Proceeds from issuances of treasury stock	291	224
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation	106	117
Net cash used in financing activities	(108,978)	(14,632)
Cash Flows from Discontinued Operations:
Net cash provided by operating activities	0	11,162
Net cash used in investing activities	0	(862)
Net cash provided by discontinued operations	0	10,300
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	(129,555)	39,678
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	344,624	94,156
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 215,069	$ 133,834

BASIS OF PRESENTATION	3 Months Ended
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	Sep. 29, 2010
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION References to "Brinker," "the Company," "we," "us," and "our" in this Form 10-Q are references to Brinker International, Inc. and its subsidiaries and any predecessor companies of Brinker International, Inc. Our consolidated financial statements as of September 29, 2010 and June 30, 2010 and for the thirteen week periods ended September 29, 2010 and September 23, 2009 have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). We are principally engaged in the ownership, operation, development, and franchising of the Chili's Grill & Bar ("Chili's") and Maggiano's Little Italy ("Maggiano's") restaurant brands. At September 29, 2010, we owned, operated, or franchised 1,555 restaurants in the United States and 29 countries and two territories outside of the United States. We sold On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina ("On The Border") to OTB Acquisition LLC ("OTB Acquisition"), an affiliate of San Francisco-based Golden Gate Capital, in June 2010. On The Border has been presented as discontinued operations in the consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2010. See Note 3 for additional disclosures. At the beginning of fiscal 2011, we began reporting certain labor expenses in a separate caption on the consolidated statements of income titled restaurant labor. Restaurant labor includes all compensation-related expenses, including benefits and incentive compensation, for restaurant employees at the general manager level and below. Labor-related expenses attributable to supervision above the individual restaurant level continue to be included in restaurant expenses. These reclassifications have no effect on our net income or financial position as previously reported. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and costs and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The information furnished herein reflects all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals and adjustments) which are, in our opinion, necessary to fairly state the interim operating results for the respective periods. However, these operating results are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full fiscal year. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been omitted pursuant to SEC rules and regulations. The notes to the consolidated financial statements (unaudited) should be read in conjunction with the notes to the consolidated financial statements contained in the June 30, 2010 Form 10-K. We believe the disclosures are sufficient for interim financial reporting purposes.

- Definition

Description containing the entire organization, consolidation and basis of presentation of financial statements disclosure. May be provided in more than one note to the financial statements, as long as users are provided with an understanding of (1) the significant judgments and assumptions made by an enterprise in determining whether it must consolidate a VIE and/or disclose information about its involvement with a VIE, (2) the nature of restrictions on a consolidated VIE's assets reported by an enterprise in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets, (3) the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with an enterprise's involvement with the VIE, and (4) how an enterprise's involvement with the VIE affects the enterprise's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. Describes procedure if disclosures are provided in more than one note to the financial statements.

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EARNINGS PER SHARE	3 Months Ended
EARNINGS PER SHARE	Sep. 29, 2010
EARNINGS PER SHARE
EARNINGS PER SHARE	2. EARNINGS PER SHARE Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the reporting period. Diluted earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock. For the calculation of diluted earnings per share, the basic weighted average number of shares is increased by the dilutive effect of stock options and restricted share awards determined using the treasury stock method. We had approximately 7.5 million stock options and restricted share awards outstanding at September 29, 2010 and 8.0 million stock options and restricted share awards outstanding at September 23, 2009 that were not included in the dilutive earnings per share calculation because the effect would have been anti-dilutive.

SALE OF ON THE BORDER AND DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

3 Months Ended

Sep. 29, 2010

SALE OF ON THE BORDER AND DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

SALE OF ON THE BORDER AND DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

3. SALE OF ON THE BORDER AND DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

In March 2010, we entered into an agreement with OTB Acquisition for the sale of On The Border for gross proceeds of $180 million. We recorded a gain upon completion of the sale in June 2010. As part of the sale, we entered into an agreement with OTB Acquisition whereby we provide corporate support services for the new entity through the end of fiscal 2011. The income generated offsets the internal cost of providing the services.

On The Border has been presented as discontinued operations in the consolidated financial statements in fiscal 2010. Discontinued operations include only the revenues and expenses which can be specifically identified with On The Border and excludes any allocation of corporate costs, including general and administrative expenses. The results of On The Border consist of the following (in thousands):


	Thirteen Week Period Ended
	September 23, 2009
Revenues	$	81,538


Income before income taxes from discontinued operations		7,925
Income tax expense		2,437

Net income from discontinued operations	$	5,488

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	3 Months Ended
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	Sep. 29, 2010
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	4. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Our Board of Directors has authorized a total of $2,310.0 million of share repurchases. Pursuant to our stock repurchase plan, we repurchased approximately 5.3 million shares of our common stock for $92.7 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2011. As of September 29, 2010, approximately $197 million was available under our share repurchase authorizations. Our stock repurchase plan has been and will be used to return capital to shareholders and to minimize the dilutive impact of stock options and other share-based awards. In the future, we may consider additional share repurchases under our plan based on several factors, including our cash position, share price, operational liquidity, proceeds from divestitures and planned investment and financing needs. Repurchased common stock is reflected as a reduction of shareholders' equity. In the first quarter of fiscal 2011, we paid dividends of $14.6 million to common stock shareholders, compared to $11.9 million in the prior year. Our Board of Directors approved a 27 percent increase in the quarterly dividend from $0.11 to $0.14 per share effective with this dividend payment which was declared in June 2010. Additionally, we declared a quarterly dividend in August 2010 to be paid on September 30, 2010.

- Definition

Disclosures related to accounts comprising shareholders' equity, including other comprehensive income. Includes: (1) balances of common stock, preferred stock, additional paid-in capital, other capital and retained earnings; (2) accumulated balance for each classification of other comprehensive income and total amount of comprehensive income; (3) amount and nature of changes in separate accounts, including the number of shares authorized and outstanding, number of shares issued upon exercise and conversion, and for other comprehensive income, the adjustments for reclassifications to net income; (4) rights and privileges of each class of stock authorized; (5) basis of treasury stock, if other than cost, and amounts paid and accounting treatment for treasury stock purchased significantly in excess of market; (6) dividends paid or payable per share and in the aggregate for each class of stock for each period presented; (7) dividend restrictions and accumulated preferred dividends in arrears (in aggregate and per share amount); (8) retained earnings appropriations or restrictions, such as dividend restrictions; (9) impact of change in accounting principle, initial adoption of new accounting principle and correction of an error in previously issued financial statements; (10) shares held in trust for Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP); (11) deferred compensation related to issuance of capital stock; (12) note received for issuance of stock; (13) unamortized discount on shares; (14) description, terms and number of warrants or rights outstanding; (15) shares under subscription and subscription receivables; effective date of new retained earnings after quasi-reorganization and deficit eliminated by quasi-reorganization and, for a period of at least ten years after the effective date, the point in time from which the new retained dates; and (16) retroactive effective of subsequent change in capital structure.

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SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION

3 Months Ended

Sep. 29, 2010

SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION

SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION

5. SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION

Cash paid for income taxes and interest for the first quarter of fiscal 2011 and 2010 are as follows (in thousands):


	September 30, 2010		September 23, 2009
Income taxes, net of refunds	$	29,529	$	158
Interest, net of amounts capitalized		2,138		2,075

Non-cash investing activities for the first quarter of fiscal 2011 and 2010 are as follows (in thousands):


	September 30, 2010		September 23, 2009
Retirement of fully depreciated assets	$	37,546	$	26,869

FAIR VALUE DISCLOSURES

3 Months Ended

Sep. 29, 2010

FAIR VALUE DISCLOSURES

FAIR VALUE DISCLOSURES

6. FAIR VALUE DISCLOSURES

Fair value is defined as the price that we would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. In determining fair value, the accounting standards establish a three level hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value, as follows:

•

Level 1 – inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

•

Level 2 – inputs are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities.

•

Level 3 – inputs are unobservable and reflect our own assumptions.

(a) Non-Financial Assets Measured on a Non-Recurring Basis

We review the carrying amount of property and equipment in the second and fourth quarters or when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount is not recoverable, we record an impairment charge for the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value. No impairment charges were recorded in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 or in the prior year.

(b) Other Financial Instruments

Our financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and long-term debt. The fair value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximates their carrying amounts while the fair value of the 5.75% notes is based on quoted market prices. At September 29, 2010, the 5.75% notes had a carrying value of $289.4 million and a fair value of $307.6 million. At June 30, 2010, the 5.75% notes had a carrying value of $289.4 million and a fair value of $302.6 million.

- Definition

This item represents the complete disclosure regarding the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments, assets, and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the Company is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risk is are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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CONTINGENCIES	3 Months Ended
CONTINGENCIES	Sep. 29, 2010
CONTINGENCIES
CONTINGENCIES	7. CONTINGENCIES As of September 29, 2010, we remain secondarily liable for lease payments totaling $200.1 million resulting from the sale of restaurants to franchisees and brand divestitures. This amount represents the maximum potential liability of future payments under the guarantees. These leases have been assigned to the buyers and expire at the end of the respective lease terms, which range from fiscal 2011 through fiscal 2023. In the event of default, the indemnity and default clauses in our assignment agreements govern our ability to pursue and recover damages incurred. No material liabilities have been recorded as of September 29, 2010. Certain current and former hourly restaurant employees filed a lawsuit against us in California Superior Court alleging violations of California labor laws with respect to meal and rest breaks. The lawsuit seeks penalties and attorney's fees and was certified as a class action in July 2006. On July 22, 2008, the California Court of Appeal decertified the class action on all claims with prejudice. On October 22, 2008, the California Supreme Court granted a writ to review the decision of the Court of Appeal. We intend to vigorously defend our position. It is not possible at this time to reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss, if any. We are engaged in various other legal proceedings and have certain unresolved claims pending. The ultimate liability, if any, for the aggregate amounts claimed cannot be determined at this time. However, management, based upon consultation with legal counsel, is of the opinion that there are no matters pending or threatened which are expected to have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.