UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment

(Amendment No.    )

6820 LBJ Freeway

Dallas, Texas 75240
(972) 980-9917

(972) 980-9917

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To Be Held October 29, 2009November 3, 2011

September 15, 20092011

Dear Shareholder:

We invite you to attend the annual meeting of shareholders of Brinker International, Inc. to be held at 9:00 a.m. (CDT)(CST), on Thursday, October 29, 2009,November 3, 2011, at the Addison Conference Centre,Brinker International, Inc. principal executive office campus, in the building located at 15650 Addison Road, Addison,6700 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75001.75240. At the meeting, we will: (1) elect eight (8)ten (10) directors for one-year terms; (2) vote on the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent auditors for the fiscal 20102012 year; (3) cast an advisory vote on executive compensation; (4) cast an advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation; and (3)(5) conduct any other business properly brought before the meeting.

Your Board of Directors has chosen September 1, 20099, 2011 as the date used to determine the shareholders who will be able to attend and vote at the annual meeting. If you ownowned shares in Brinker, at the end of business on that day, you are invited to attend the annual meeting. Seating at the meeting will be limited to Brinker'sBrinker’s shareholders, proxy holders and invited guests of Brinker. If you own your shares in your own name, please bring photo identification to the meeting. If you hold your shares through a bank, broker or other third party, please bring photo identification and a current statement from that party showing your ownership. Please note that cameras, recording equipment and other electronic devices will not be permitted at the meeting.

Your vote is important.Whether or not you plan to be present at the meeting, please take time to vote. If you decide not to attend the annual meeting, you may vote on these proposals by proxy. To do so, please cast your vote, as instructed in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials you received, over the Internet or by telephone after your review of proxy materials atwww.proxyvote.com (by using your 12-digit control number on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to access the website) or, upon your request, after receipt of hard copies of proxy materials. We ask that you cast your vote as promptly as possible. You may also request a paper copy of the proxy card to submit your vote, if you prefer.We do encourage you to vote by Internet.Internet. It is convenient and saves postage and processing costs. If you have voted by the Internet, by mail or by telephone and later decide to attend the annual meeting, you may come to the meeting and vote in person.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Douglas H. Brooks

Chairman of the Board, President

and Chief Executive Officer

BRINKER INTERNATIONAL, INC.

PROXY STATEMENT

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE MEETING AND VOTING

Why did you send this Proxy Statement to me?

The Board of Directors of Brinker International, Inc. (sometimes referred to here as "Brinker," "we," "us," "our,"“Brinker,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or the "Company"“Company”) is soliciting the enclosed proxy to be used at the annual meeting of shareholders on October 29, 2009November 3, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. (CDT)(CST), and at any adjournment or postponement of that meeting. The meeting will be held at our principal executive office campus, in the Addison Conference Centre, which isbuilding located at 15650 Addison Road, Addison,6700 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75001.75240. The purpose of the meeting is to:

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elect eight (8)ten (10) directors;



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vote on the ratification of the selection of KPMG LLP as our independent auditors for the 20102012 fiscal year;

cast an advisory vote on executive compensation;

cast an advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation; and



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conduct any other business properly brought before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

We posted this Proxy Statement and the accompanying proxy on or about September 15, 2009,2011, to our website atwww.proxyvote.com, and mailed notice on September 15, 20092011 to all shareholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting.

Why am I being asked to review materials on-line?

Under rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"(“SEC”), we are furnishing proxy materials to our shareholders on the Internet, rather than mailing printed copies of those materials to each shareholder. If you receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials by mail, you will not receive a printed copy of the proxy materials unless you request one. Instead, the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials will instruct you as to how you may access and review the proxy materials on the Internet. If you received a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials by mail and would like to receive a printed copy of our proxy materials, please follow the instructions included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. We anticipate that the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials will be mailed to shareholders on or about September 15, 2009.2011.

How many votes do I have?

If we had your name on record as owning stock in Brinker International, Inc. at the close of business on September 1, 2009,9, 2011, then you are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. You are entitled to one vote for each share of Brinker'sBrinker’s common stock you own as of that date. At the close of business on August 12, 2009, 102,143,3992011, 82,677,559 shares of the Company'sCompany’s common stock were outstanding and eligible to vote.

How do I vote by proxy?

Whether you plan to attend the annual meeting or not, we encourage you to follow the instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. You may vote

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via Internet atwww.proxyvote.com by using your 12-digit control number to access the site (you may find this number on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials);



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via Internet atwww.proxyvote.com by using your 12-digit control number to access the site (you may find this number on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials);

by phone; and



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by requesting, completing and mailing a paper proxy card, as outlined in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials;

How do I attend the annual meeting in person?

Seating at the annual meeting will be limited to Brinker'sBrinker’s shareholders or their proxyholders and Brinker'sBrinker’s invited guests. If you are a holder of record in your own name, please bring photo identification to the annual meeting. If you hold shares through a bank, broker or other third party, please bring photo identification and a current brokerage statement. Cameras, recording equipment and other electronic devices will not be permitted at the meeting. The annual meeting will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. (CDT),(CST) at our offices, so please plan to arrive accordingly. For directions to the annual meeting, please visit the Investor Information section of our website at http://www.brinker.com.

May I revoke my proxy?

You may change your vote or revoke your proxy any time before the annual meeting by:

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returning another proxy card with a later date;



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sending written notification of revocation to the Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices at 6820 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75240;



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entering a later vote by telephone or over the Internet; or



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attending the annual meeting and voting in person.

You should be aware that simply attending the annual meeting will not automatically revoke your previously submitted proxy. If you desire to do so, you must notify an authorized Brinker representative at the annual meeting of your desire to revoke your proxy and then you must vote in person.

Who pays for the solicitation of proxies and how are they solicited?

We pay the entire cost of the solicitation of these proxies. This cost includes preparation, assembly, printing, and mailing of this Proxy Statement and any other information we send to you. We may supplement our efforts to solicit your proxy in the following ways:

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we may contact you using the telephone or electronic communication;



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our directors, officers, or other regular employees may contact you personally; or



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we may hire agents for the sole purpose of contacting you regarding the proxy.

If we hire soliciting agents, we will pay them a reasonable fee for their services. We will not pay directors, officers, or other regular employees any additional compensation for their efforts to supplement our proxy solicitation.

Can I vote if my shares are held in "street name"“street name”?

If the shares you own are held in "street name"“street name” by a bank or brokerage firm, your bank or brokerage firm, as the record holder of your shares, is required to vote your shares according to your instructions. In order to vote your shares, you will need to follow the directions your bank or brokerage firm provides you. If you do not give instructions to your bank or brokerage firm, it will still be able to vote your shares with respect to certain "routine"“routine” items, but will not be allowed to vote your shares with respect to certain "non-routine"“non-routine” items. In the case of non-routine items, the shares will be treated as "broker“broker non-votes,"” which are not counted as cast and have no effect on the outcome of the vote. Prior to this year, election of directors was considered a routine matter and your bank or brokerage firm was permitted to use its discretion to vote your shares on the election of

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directors if you gave no instructions. We urge you to give your bank or brokerage firm instructions on all proposals in this proxy statement. To be able to vote your shares held in street name at the meeting, you will need to obtain a proxy from your bank or brokerage firm.

How do I vote if my shares are held in the Company'sCompany’s 401(k) Plan?

If all or some of the shares you own are held through the Company'sCompany’s 401(k) Plan, you may vote via Internet or by phone by 11:59 p.m., EDT,EST, on October 26, 200931, 2011 or the Company'sCompany’s agent must receive your paper proxy card on or before October 26, 2009.31, 2011.

What is "householding"“householding”?

If you and others in your household own your shares in street name, you may receive only one copy of this proxy statement and the annual report. This practice is known as "householding."“householding.” If you hold your shares in street name and would like additional copies of these materials, please contact your bank or broker. If you receive multiple copies and would prefer to receive only one set of these materials, please also contact your bank or broker. Brinker does not currently use householding for owners of record and will send notice to all owners of record before using householding. By using this method, we give all owners of record the opportunity to continue to receive multiple copies of these materials in the same household.

What constitutes a quorum?

In order for business to be conducted at the meeting, a quorum must be present. A quorum consists of the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock issued, outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting. Shares of common stock represented in person or by proxy (including broker non-votes and shares that abstain or do not vote with respect to one or more of the matters to be voted upon) will be counted for the purpose of determining whether a quorum exists. If a quorum is not present, the meeting will be adjourned until a quorum is obtained.

What vote is required to approve each proposal?

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Proposal 1: Elect EightTen Directors

The eightten nominees for director who receive the most votes of all nominees for director will be elected. Votes withheld will therefore have no effect on the outcome of this proposal because only a plurality of votes actually cast is needed to elect a director.

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Proposal 2: Ratify Selection of Independent Auditors for the 20102012 Fiscal Year

The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of common stock present or represented by proxy and voting at the meeting is required to approve this proposal. Abstentions are counted as votes cast and have the same effect as votes against the proposal. Broker non-votes have no effect on the outcome of the voting on this proposal.

The approval, in an advisory, non-binding vote, of the compensation of the named executive officers of the Company by a majority of the shares of common stock present or represented by proxy and voting at the meeting is sought. Abstentions are counted as votes cast and have the same effect as votes against the proposal. Broker non-votes have no effect on the outcome of the voting on this advisory, non-binding approval.

The determination, in an advisory, non-binding vote, on how frequently the Company should present to you, the shareholders, the advisory, non-binding vote on executive compensation of the named executive officers is sought. Abstentions are counted as votes cast and have the effect of no choice of the available options. Broker non-votes have no effect on the outcome of the voting on this advisory, non-binding approval.

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How will my proxy get voted?

If you vote over the Internet or by telephone, or properly fill in and return a paper proxy card (if requested), the designated Proxies (Douglas H. Brooks and Marvin J. Girouard)Cece Smith) will vote your shares as you have directed. If you submit a paper proxy card, but do not make specific choices, the designated Proxies will vote your shares as recommended by the Board of Directors as follows:

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"FOR"

“FOR” election of the eightten nominees for director; and



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"FOR"

“FOR” ratification of KPMG LLP as our independent auditors for the 20102012 fiscal year.

How will voting on "any“any other business"business” be conducted?

Although we do not know of any business to be considered at the annual meeting other than the proposals described in this Proxy Statement, if any additional business is properly brought before the annual meeting, your signed or electronically transmitted proxy card gives authority to the designated Proxies to vote on such matters in their discretion.

Who will count the votes?

We have hired a third party, Broadridge Financial Solutions, to judge voting, be responsible for determining whether or not a quorum is present and tabulate votes cast by proxy or in person at the Annual Meeting.

Where can I find voting results of the meeting?

We will announce general voting results at the meeting and publish final detailed voting results at our choice, either in our quarterly report ona Form 10-Q for8-K filed within four (4) business days following the second quarter of fiscal year 2010 or in an earlier filed Form 8-K.meeting.

May shareholders ask questions at the annual meeting?

Yes, our representatives will answer your questions after the conclusion of the formal business of the meeting. In order to give a greater number of shareholders an opportunity to ask questions, we may impose certain procedural requirements, such as limiting repetitive or follow-up questions, limiting the amount of time for a question, or requiring questions to be submitted in writing.

How do I submit a proposal for next year'syear’s annual meeting?

If you have a proposal, other than a nomination for the Board of Directors, that you would like us to consider at the 20102012 annual meeting of shareholders, you must submit your proposal to the Secretary of the Company no later than May 18, 20102012 and must comply with the notice, information and other provisions contained in the Company'sCompany’s bylaws. If you would like your proposal to be included in our Proxy Statement and proxy relating to that meeting, it must also comply with the SEC rules, and you must submit it to us no later than May 18, 2010.2012. Proposals should be sent to our executive offices at 6820 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75240 in care of the Corporate Secretary.

How do I submit a nomination for the Board of Directors?

Any shareholder of the Company may recommend one or more individuals to be considered by the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Company'sCompany’s Board of Directors as a potential nominee or nominees for election as a director of the Company. If you wish to recommend one or more individuals for a position or positions on the Board of Directors, our bylaws require that you submit your recommendation, along with certain information about the candidate(s) to the Secretary of the Company. If you need a copy of the

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bylaws, you may obtain them free of charge from the Corporate Secretary or you may find them in the Company'sCompany’s public filings with the SEC. If you want to submit a recommendation for the Company's 2010Company’s 2012 annual meeting of the shareholders, your submittal must be delivered to our principal executive offices at 6820 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75240 to the attention of the Corporate Secretary on or before May 18, 2010.2012.

How can I communicate with the Board of Directors?

If you or any interested party wishes to communicate with the Board of Directors, as a group, or with an individual director, such communication may be directed to the appropriate group or individual in care of the General Counsel, Brinker International, Inc., 6820 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75240. Your Board of Directors has instructed the General Counsel to review and forward such communications to the appropriate person or persons for response.

How can I access Brinker'sBrinker’s proxy materials and annual report electronically?

You can access the Company'sCompany’s proxy statement, 20092011 Annual Report on Form 10-K and FY 20092011 Annual Report at www.brinker.com. You may simply click on the "For Investors"“For Investors” tab on the home page, and then the "Financial Information"“Financial Information” link in the left column; the SEC filings section of our website will be available for your usage. We will also provide you free copies of these documents by sending a written request to the Company'sCompany’s Corporate Secretary at 6820 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75240. If you received a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, you may also access this information at the website described in the Notice. We also file and furnish our annual, quarterly and current reports and other information, including proxy statements, with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public in the SEC’s website atwww.sec.gov. The FY 20092011 Annual Report and the Form 10-K accompany this proxy statement, but are not considered part of the proxy soliciting materials.

How long may I rely upon the information in this proxy statement? May I rely upon other materials as well regarding the annual meeting?

You should rely upon the information contained in this Proxy Statement to vote on the proposals at the annual meeting. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different from what is contained in this proxy statement. This proxy statement is dated September 15, 2011. You should not assume that the information contained in this proxy statement is accurate as of any date other than such date, unless indicated otherwise in this proxy statement, and the mailing of the proxy statement to you shall not create any implication to the contrary. We would encourage you to check our website or the SEC’s website for any required updates that we may make between the date of this proxy statement and date of the annual meeting.

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PROPOSAL 1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Your proxy will be used to voteFOR the election of the Nominees named below unless you withhold the authority to do so when you send in your proxy. If any Nominee becomes unavailable for election as a result of an unexpected occurrence, we would use your shares to vote for a substitute Nominee that the Board of Directors would propose. Each person nominated for election has agreed to serve if elected, and we have no reason to believe that any Nominee will be unavailable to serve. All Nominees are currently serving as directors of the Company and all were elected by the shareholders at the 20082010 annual meeting of shareholders.shareholders, except Messrs. David Deno, Michael Dixon, and Jon Luther who were appointed to the Board of Directors on April 11, 2011.

Information About Nominees

We are furnishing you below certain biographical information about each of the eightten persons nominated as directors:directors. Also included is a description of the experience, qualification, attributes and skills of each nominee:

Douglas H. Brooks, 57,59, is Chairman of the Board of the Board of Directors, having been elected to the position in November 2004, and has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company since January 2004, and as President of the Company since January 1999. Previously, Mr. Brooks served as Chili'sChili’s Grill & Bar President from June 1994 to May 1998, Executive Vice President of the Company from May 1998 until January 1999, and Chief Operating Officer from May 1998 until June 2003. Mr. Brooks joined the Company as an Assistant Manager in 1978 and was promoted to General Manager later that year. He was named Area Supervisor in 1979, Regional Director in 1982, Senior Vice President—Central Region Operations in 1987, and Senior Vice President—Chili'sChili’s Operations in 1992. He held this position until becoming President of Chili'sChili’s in 1994. Mr. Brooks serves on the Board of Directors of Southwest Airlines Co. He also serves on the Board of Limbs for Life and is a member of the Professional Advisory Board for St. Jude Children'sChildren’s Research Hospital. Mr. Brooks has served on the Board of Directors since 1999 and is a member of the Executive Committee. Mr. Brooks brings over thirty-two years of hands-on experience in the casual dining industry and the Company serving in various roles from assistant manager to chief executive officer. He provides a unique perspective to the Board with direct knowledge and understanding of the industry as well as familiarity with the Company’s business including the ability to effectively identify and drive execution of the Company’s strategic priorities.

Harriet Edelman, 53,David Deno, 54, is the formerChief Financial Officer of the international division of Best Buy Co. since December 2009. Prior to joining Best Buy, Mr. Deno was a consultant with Obelysk Capital from February 2009 to December 2009. Prior to joining Obelysk, Mr. Deno was a Managing Director of CCMP Capital Advisors, LLC, a private equity firm from August 2006 to February 2009. While with CCMP, Mr. Deno was the President and then CEO of Quiznos, LLC, an operator of quick service restaurants. Prior to this, he had a 15 year career with YUM! Brands where between 1999 and 2005 he served first as the Chief Financial Officer and later as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Deno currently serves as a director at Peets Coffee & Tea, Inc. and NXT Nutritional Holdings, Inc. Mr. Deno has served on the Board of Directors since April, 2011. Mr. Deno brings his skills and knowledge as a lead financial officer of large publically-traded restaurant companies and international retail development at a large consumer electronics company. Mr. Deno also provides a comprehensive understanding of international retail development and operations, broad finance, franchising, and restaurant industry expertise, including chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

Joseph M. DePinto, 48, is President and Chief Executive Officer of 7-Eleven, Inc., serving in this position since December 2005. Previously, Mr. DePinto served as President of GameStop Corporation from March 2005 to December 2005. Prior to GameStop, he was employed by 7-Eleven, Inc. from 2002 to 2005 in various roles, most recently Vice President, Operations from 2003 to 2005. Mr. DePinto currently serves on the Board of Directors of 7-Eleven, Inc. and OfficeMax, Inc., and previously served on the Board of Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. He also serves on the Boards of the New York State for Veterans Organization, the SMU Cox School of Business and the National Italian American Foundation. Mr. DePinto has served on the Board of Directors since August 2010 and is a member of the Compensation Committee of the Company. Mr. DePinto brings his skills and knowledge as chief executive of a large multi-unit retail company operating in domestic and international

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markets, as well as his experience serving on the boards of other large or public companies. He provides a significant, broad based understanding of leading a large and/or public company, as well as his specific understanding of all aspects of retailing, including operations, marketing, finance and strategic planning.

Michael Dixon, 49, serves as Chief Financial Officer of Pinkberry, a position he has held since 2008. Prior to joining Pinkberry, he served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of The Cheesecake Factory from 2003 to 2008, and Vice President and Controller from 2000 to 2003. In 2000, he was Vice President and Controller of Petsmart.com. Prior to that, he was Director Finance and Business Development at Walt Disney Company. Mr. Dixon has served on the Board of Directors since April, 2011. Mr. Dixon brings extensive finance, restaurant industry experience, retail development knowledge and experiences from prior roles with various companies, including roles as chief financial officers and controller at a publicly-traded restaurant company.

Harriet Edelman, 55, is Vice-Chairman of the Emigrant Bank since November 2010 and serves as a management member of the Board of Emigrant Bank. Previously, Ms. Edelman served as Advisor to the Chairman of Emigrant Bank from June 2008 through October 2010, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Avon Products, Inc., serving in this position from January 2000 through March 2008, and as Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain from May 1996 to January 2000.2000, and was a member of the company’s Executive Committee. Ms. Edelman serves on the Board of Directors of Ariba, Inc. and serves as Advisor to the Chairman for New York Private Bank & Trust. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Police Athletic League and is a Trustee of the New York and the National Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of the USA.Blood Center. Ms. Edelman has served on the Board of Directors since March 2008 and is a member of the Audit and CompensationGovernance and Nominating Committees of the Company. Ms. Edelman brings her understanding and knowledge as a senior officer in a worldwide retail company in areas of marketing, sales, information technology, supply chain management and global business, experience as a senior officer in financial services, and experience serving as a director on large company boards.

Marvin J. Girouard, 70, Jon L. Luther,67,is the retired Chairman andof the Board of Dunkin’ Brands, having recently transitioned out of the role of Executive Chairman, a position he held from January 2009 to July 2010. Mr. Luther was Chief Executive Officer of Pier 1 Imports, Inc., havingDunkin’ Brands from January 2003 to December 2006, at which time he added the additional role of Chairman. Mr. Luther served as ChairmanPresident of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits from February 1999January 1997 to February 2007 and Chief Executive Officer from June 1998 to February 2007.December 2002. Mr. Girouard previouslyLuther also served as Pier 1 Imports' Chief Operating OfficerPresident of CA One Services, a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies, from 19881992 to 1998 and as President from 1988 until February 1999.1997. Mr. Girouard joined Pier 1 Imports in 1975 and served on its Board of Directors since 1988 until 2007. He is an honorary member of the Board of Directors for the United States Committee for UNICEF—The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund. Mr. GirouardLuther has served on the Board of Directors since 1998, serves asApril, 2011. Mr. Luther brings many years of experience in the Lead Directorfoodservice and fast casual dining industry, serving in various roles including chief executive officer and chairman. He also offers a broad background of the Board,finance, franchising, governance, management and is a member of the Audit, Compensation and Executive Committees of the Company.executive leadership skills.

John W. Mims 50,, 52, is the Senior Vice President World-Wide Sales & Resort Marketing Asia for Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Previously he was the Managing Partner of The Hunting Ridge Group, LLC, which he founded. Previously he served as Chief Marketing and Sales Officer for Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Worldwide. Previously he founded The Hunting Ridge Group, LLC, where he was Managing Partner.Worldwide from June 2008 to January 2010. Mr. Mims also served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. from November 2003 to October 2006, and as Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Asia Pacific Division from May 2001 to November 2003. He previously worked with PepsiCola International in their Southeast Asia operations, most recently as Director International Modern Trade from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Mims serves on the board of Entertainment Cruises. Mr. Mims has served on the Board of Directors since February 2007 and is a member of the Compensation and Governance and Nominating Committees of the Company. Mr. Mims brings his understanding of international operations and marketing in food and beverage and hospitality industries from his previous roles. He provides unique insight into aspects of operations in countries outside of the United States. He has further experience with franchising and restaurant management.

Board of Directors since September 2003 and is a member of the Audit and the Compensation Committees of the Company.

Erle Nye, 72, is Chairman Emeritus Mr. Mrkonic brings his thirty plus years of TXU Corp. since May 2005, having servedexperience in the retail industry as Chairmanwell as his knowledge and skills as a senior executive and director of large public companies. He provides a broad understanding of the Board from 2004 to 2005, Chairman ofcomplex strategic, governance and financial issues facing large multinational public companies in the Board and Chief Executive from 1997 to 2004, President and Chief Executive from 1995 to 1997, and President from 1987 to 1995. Mr. Nye served on the Board of Directors of TXU Corp. from 1987 to 2005. Mr. Nye serves on the board of S&C Electric Company and on its Audit Committee. Mr. Nye also serves on the boards of many professional, civic and charitable organizations, including the University of Texas Investment Management Company where he serves as Chairman. Mr. Nye has served on the Board of Directors since November 2002 and is a member of the Audit and Governance and Nominating Committees of the Company.current economic environment.

Rosendo G. Parra 49,, 51, is a partner and founder of Daylight Partners since DecemberNovember 2007. Previously, Mr. Parra served as Senior Vice President for the Home and Small Business Group of Dell, Inc. from June 2006 to April 2007, as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Dell Americas from April 2002 until June 2006, Senior Vice President and Co-General Manager, Worldwide Home and Small Business Group from April 2001 until April 2002, Senior Vice President, Americas Public and Americas International from September 1998 until April 2001, Vice President, Public and Americas International, from February 1997 until September 1998, Group Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Service, from June 1994 until February 1997, and Vice President, Dell USA from August 1993 until June 1994. Mr. Parra alsocurrently serves as a Director for NIINii Holdings, Inc. and PG&E Corp. Mr. Parra has served on the Board of Directors since December 2004 and is a member of the Compensation and Governance and Nominating Committees of the Company. Mr. Parra brings his extensive experience as a senior operating executive in technology and retail, with significant understanding of international operations. His experience gives him a unique insight into technology and its application in the business environment. He has further experience with turnaround, growth and distressed businesses.

Cece Smith, 64,66, is the retired Managing General Partner of Phillips-Smith-Machens Venture Partners, a venture capital firm which invested in retail and consumer businesses that she co-founded in 1986. Previously, Ms. Smith held senior management positions with Pearle Health Services and S&A Restaurant Corp. Ms. Smith currently serves as a Director of Pier 1 Imports, Inc. and is on the Executive BoardsBoard of the Dallas Symphony Association andAssociation. She has previously served on the Edwin L. Cox SchoolBoard of Business at Southern Methodist University.Michael’s Stores, Inc. Ms. Smith has served on the Board of Directors since January 2002, currently serves as Lead Director of the Board, and is a member of the Audit and Governance and Nominating Committees of the Company. Ms. Smith brings her wealth of finance, restaurant, retail and governance knowledge and experiences from her prior years of service to other companies, as well as her understanding of accounting as a certified public accountant. She provides a unique insight into financial and accounting matters in the retail industry, and as a board member of other public companies, a direct understanding of the role and responsibility of boards and board committees.

YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTEFOR EACH OF THE NOMINEES FOR DIRECTOR.

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PROPOSAL 2

PROPOSAL 2

RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors selected KPMG LLP as our independent auditors for fiscal 2010.2012. Although we are not required to submit this matter to you, the Board of Directors believes that it is good corporate governance to do so. This proposal asks you to ratify this selection. If the appointment of KPMG LLP is not ratified by you, the Audit Committee will reconsider the appointment. Representatives of KPMG LLP are expected to be present at the annual meeting. They will have the opportunity to make a statement if they so desire and they will be available to respond to appropriate questions that you may have.

Audit Fees

The following table sets forth the aggregate fees billed, or estimated to be billed, to us for the fiscal years ended June 24, 200929, 2011 and June 25, 2008,30, 2010, by our independent auditors, KPMG LLP:

(1)

Fiscal Year		Annual Audit Fees(1)		Audit-Related Fees(2)		Tax Fees(3)		All Other Fees
2011		$634,000		$0		$98,000		$0
2010		$677,000		$0		$69,000		$0

(1)

For fiscal 2011, annual audit fees related to professional services rendered for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements, reviews of our quarterly consolidated financial statements, the audits of management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting ($628,500), and the issuance of consents for franchise circulars ($5,500).

For fiscal 2009,2010, annual audit fees related to professional services rendered for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements, reviews of our quarterly consolidated financial statements, the audits of management'smanagement’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting ($748,200), subsidiary and statutory audits ($35,800), and the issuance of consents for franchise circulars ($5,500).

For fiscal 2008, annual audit fees related to professional services rendered for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements, reviews of our quarterly consolidated financial statements, the audits of management's assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting ($813,350), subsidiary and statutory audits ($70,800)671,500), and the issuance of consents for franchise circulars ($5,500).

(2)

For fiscal 2009, audit-related fees related to the consent to the Form S-8 for Securities to be Offered to Employees Pursuant to Employee Benefit Plans.

(2)	For fiscal 2011, no audit-related fees were incurred.

For fiscal 2008, all2010, no audit-related fees for KPMG were related to its consent to the current year's Form 11K, as we selected Whitley Penn LLP to audit the Company's 401(k) Savings Plan.incurred.

(3)

(3)	For fiscal 2011, all tax fees were for review of tax returns and consultations regarding federal, state, local and international tax matters.

For fiscal 2009 and 2008,2010, all tax fees were for review of tax returns and consultations regarding tax accounting method changes.

The Audit Committee has established policies and procedures for the approval and pre-approval of audit services and permitted non-audit services. The Audit Committee has the responsibility to do the following:

•

to engage and terminate our independent auditors;



•

to pre-approve their audit services and permitted non-audit services;



•

to approve all audit and non-audit fees; and



•

to set guidelines for permitted non-audit services and fees.

All of the fees for fiscal 20092011 and 20082010 were pre-approved by the Audit Committee or were within pre-approved guidelines for permitted non-audit services and fees established by the Audit Committee. For fiscal year 2009,2012, the Audit Committee set a pre-approved maximum total fee expenditure for unscheduled, on-going audit and tax services with KPMG LLP of $200,000. In addition, if the fee for a particular item would exceed $40,000, Audit Committee approval would be required. There were no instances of waiver of approval requirements or guidelines during either fiscal year.

YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTEFOR THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF KPMG LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT AUDITORS FOR FISCAL 2010.2012.

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PROPOSAL 3

ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

As required by SEC rules, we are asking you to provide an advisory, non-binding vote to approve the compensation awarded to our named executive officers, as we have described it in the “Executive Compensation” section of this Proxy Statement, beginning on Page 22.

As described in detail in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section, the Compensation Committee oversees the program and compensation awarded, adopting changes to the program and awarding compensation as appropriate to reflect the Company’s circumstances and to promote the main objectives of the Program. These objectives include: to attract and retain top level talented leaders in a highly competitive environment; to reward increased shareholder returns and profitable growth: and to align pay to performance.

We are asking you to indicate your support for our named executive officer compensation. We believe that the information we have provided in this Proxy Statement demonstrates that our compensation program is designed appropriately and works to ensure that the interests of our executive officers, including our named executive officers, are aligned with your interest in long-term value creation.

Accordingly, we ask you approve the following resolution at the Annual Meeting:

RESOLVED, that the shareholders of Brinker International, Inc. approve the compensation awarded to the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to SEC Rules, the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables, notices and narrative in the Proxy Statement for the Company’s 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

This Advisory Resolution is non-binding on the Board of Directors. Although non-binding, the Board and Compensation Committee will review the voting results and consider your concerns in their continued evaluation of the Company’s compensation program. Because this vote is advisory in nature, it will not affect any compensation already paid or awarded to any named executive officer and will not be binding on or overrule any decisions by the Board of Directors, and it will not restrict or limit the ability of the shareholders to make proposals for inclusion in proxy materials related to executive compensation.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTEFOR THE APPROVAL OF THE ADVISORY RESOLUTION ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

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PROPOSAL 4

ADVISORY VOTE ON FREQUENCY OF FUTURE ADVISORY VOTES ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

As required by SEC rules, we are asking you to vote, on an advisory, non-binding basis, on how frequently we should present to you the advisory vote on executive compensation. SEC rules require the Company to submit to a shareholder vote at least once every six years whether advisory votes on executive compensation should be presented every one, two or three years.

After careful consideration of the frequency alternatives, the Board believes that a one year frequency for conducting an advisory vote on executive compensation is appropriate for the Company and its shareholders at this time. Notwithstanding the outcome of this vote, as discussed in the Q&A section of this Proxy Statement, shareholders, at their discretion at any time, may communicate directly with the Board of Directors on various issues, including executive compensation.

Shareholders will specify one of four choices for this proposal on the proxy card: one year, two years, three years or abstain. While this vote is advisory and non-binding on the Company, the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee will carefully consider the outcome of the vote, among other factors, when making future decisions regarding the frequency of advisory votes on executive compensation. Because this vote is advisory in nature, it will not affect any compensation already paid or awarded to any named executive officer and will not be binding on or overrule any decisions by the Board of Directors, and it will not restrict or limit the ability of the shareholders to make proposals for inclusion in proxy materials related to executive compensation.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE ONE YEAR ON THE FREQUENCY FOR FUTURE ADVISORY VOTES ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND

GOVERNANCE OF THE COMPANY

Director Independence

The Board reviews the independence of each non-employee director annually to confirm that the director continues to meet our standards as well as the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"(“NYSE”) and the rules of the SEC. No member of the Board will be considered independent unless the Board determines that he or she has no material relationship with the Company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the Company). The Board will not determine any director to be independent if he or she has or has had any of the relationships set forth in the NYSE rules during the time periods specified in such rules. The Board will describe in the proxy statement the basis for determining whether any relationship is immaterial.

The Board of Directors has affirmatively determined each of the following directors is an "independent"“independent” director as such term is defined and as required by our Corporate Governance Guidelines, and the requirements of the SEC and NYSE.

The only member of the Board who is not independent is Douglas H. Brooks. Mr. Brooks, as CEO and President of the Company, is the only employee member of the Board. The Board has further determined that no material relationship exists between us and each non-employee director outside of their service as a member of the Board of Directors. In this proxy statement we may refer to these directors individually as an "Independent Director"“Independent Director” and collectively as the "Independent“Independent Directors."”

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Board Structure

The Board of Directors does not have classes where a director serves multi-year terms. Each director serves for a one year term and is subject to re-election by you each year. Prior to recommending a director for nomination for re-election, the Governance and Nominating Committee considers many things including:

•

the quality of past director service, and attendance at Board of Directors and Committee meetings;



•

whether the director continues to possess the qualities and capabilities considered necessary or desirable for director service;



•

input from other members of the Board of Directors concerning the performance of that director through a peer review process; and



•

the independence of the director.

A non-employee director is expected to serve at least four one-year terms (subject to annual renomination and re-election). Presently, Messrs. Girouard,Mims, Mrkonic Nye and Parra and Ms. Smith have served for more than four one-year terms.

        Mr. Ron Kirk resigned from the Board of Directors on March 18, 2009 following his appointment as U.S. Trade Representative. Mr. James E. Oesterreicher isMessrs. Girouard and Nye are leaving the Board of Directors at the end of histheir current termterms on October 28, 2009November 2, 2011 after 1513 years and 9 years of service.service, respectively.

Committees of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors has the following standing committees and current committee composition:

C — Committee Chair

M — Member

*

Chairman of the Board



**

Lead Director



***

Mr. Nye succeeded Mr. Kirk as the Chairman of the Governance and Nominating Committee on March 18, 2009.



****

Mr. Oesterreicher is leaving the Board of Directors on October 28, 2009.

The charters for each of these committees, as well as our Corporate Governance Guidelines, are available at no charge to you in the Corporate Governance section of our internet website (http://www.brinker.com/investors/Corporate_Governance.asp) or by written request directed to us, at 6820 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75240, Attention: Corporate Secretary.

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The Board of Directors has affirmatively determined that each member of the Audit, Compensation, and Governance and Nominating Committees meets the independence requirements applicable to those committees required by the NYSE and the SEC.

The Executive Committee reviews material matters between Board meetings, provides advice and counsel to our management, and has the authority to act for the Board on mostroutine and administrative matters between Board meetings. In addition,On August 26, 2011, the Board dissolved the Executive Committee is also charged with assuring that we havenoting no meetings of the Committee had occurred for 24 months and the Committee was a satisfactory succession management plan for all key management positions.resource not presently required to manage the affairs of the Company due to effective and regular communications between the Board and management.

The role of the Audit Committee is provided to you in the "Report“Report of the Audit Committee"Committee” later in this Proxy Statement. The Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Smith is an "audit“audit committee financial expert"expert” as such term is defined in the SEC'sSEC’s Regulation S-K.

A discussion of the specific nature of the Compensation Committee'sCommittee’s responsibilities and compensation philosophy as they relate to our executive officers is provided to you in the "Compensation“Compensation Discussion and Analysis"Analysis” and "Report“Report of the Compensation Committee"Committee” later in this Proxy Statement.

The Governance and Nominating Committee performs the following functions:

•

recommends to the Board of Directors potential members to be added as new or replacement members to the Board of Directors;

•

recommends to the Board of Directors the nominees for election to the Board of Directors at the annual shareholders meeting;



•

reviews, and makes recommendation to the Board of Directors regarding, the compensation paid to non-management Board members;



•

reviews, and makes recommendation to the Board of Directors regarding, CEO succession plans;

recommends corporate governance guidelines to the full Board of Directors;



•

reviews the applicable legal standards for "independence"“independence” and the criteria applied to determine "audit“audit committee financial expert"expert” status; and



•

reviews the answers to annual questionnaires completed by each of the Independent Directors.

On the basis of this year'syear’s review, the Governance and Nominating Committee delivered a report to the full Board of Directors and the Board of Directors made its "independence"“independence” and "audit“audit committee financial expert"expert” determinations.

Board Member Meeting Attendance

During the fiscal year ended June 24, 2009,29, 2011, the Board of Directors held nineeight meetings. Each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate total of meetings of the Board of Directors and Committees on which he or she served. Also, all members of the Board of Directors attended the Company's 2008Company’s 2010 annual meeting of shareholders.shareholders, except for Messrs. Deno, Dixon and Luther, who were appointed to the Board on April 11, 2011. Such attendance allows for direct interaction between you and members of the Board of Directors.

Chairman of the Board and Lead Director

The business and affairs of the Company are managed under the direction of the Board of Directors. Generally, it is management’s responsibility to formalize, propose and implement strategic choices and the Board’s role to approve strategic direction and evaluate strategic results, including both the performance of the Company and the performance of the Chief Executive Officer. The Board believes that the combined role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer promotes the execution of the strategic responsibilities of Board and management because the Chief Executive Officer is the director most familiar with the Company’s business and industry and most capable of effectively identifying strategic priorities and leading the discussion and execution of strategy.

13

Mr. Brooks has served as both the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since November 2004. Because the Chairman is a member of management, the Board considers it useful and appropriate to designate a “Lead Director” to coordinate the activities of the independent directors. The presence of a Lead Director provides additional assurance as to the independence of the Board’s oversight of management.

The Independent Directors have selected Mr. Girouard from their group to serveMs. Smith as the "Lead Director" of the Board.Lead Director. As Lead Director, Mr. GirouardMs. Smith chairs each meeting of the Independent Directors (an "Executive Session"“Executive Session”). The Independent Directors generally meet in Executive Session at each Board meeting.

As the Lead Director of the Board, Mr. Girouard'sMs. Smith’s duties include:

•

presiding at all meetings of the Board of Directors when the Chairman of the Board is not present;



•

serving as liaison between the Chairman of the Board and the Independent Directors;



•

approving

reviewing information sent to the Board of Directors;



•

approving meeting agendas and schedules for the Board of Directors;



•

having the authority to call a meeting of the Independent Directors; and



•

being available for consultation and direct communication with major shareholders.

The Board believes that the combined role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, together with an independent Lead Director having the responsibilities outlined above, provides the appropriate balance between strategy development and independent oversight of senior management.

Directors'The Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

The Board has an active role, as a whole and also at the committee level, in overseeing management of the Company’s risks, including, the Company’s enterprise risk management process that monitors and manages key business risks facing the Company. Throughout the fiscal year, the Board regularly reviews information regarding the Company’s strategic, financial and operational risks. The Company’s Compensation Committee oversees the management of risks relating to the Company’s compensation policies and practices. The Audit Committee oversees the management of risks associated with accounting, auditing, financial reporting and internal controls over financial reporting, as well as the effectiveness of the Company’s enterprise risk management process. The Audit Committee also assists the Board in its oversight of the integrity of the Company’s financial statements, the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the qualifications and independence of the Company’s auditors and the performance of the Company’s independent auditors and the Company’s internal audit function. The Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and discussing the guidelines and policies governing the process by which senior management and the internal auditing department assess and manage the Company’s exposure to risk, as well as the Company’s major financial risk exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor and control such exposures. The Governance and Nominating Committee oversees risks associated with the independence of the Board of Directors and the Company’s governance structure. While each committee is responsible for evaluating certain risks and overseeing the management of such risks, the entire Board of Directors is regularly informed through updates provided at full Board meetings, attendance at committee meetings, and committee reports about such risks.

Directors’ Compensation

The Governance and Nominating Committee annually reviews and periodically benchmarks the Board'sBoard’s compensation to assure that non-employee directors are being fairly and reasonably compensated in relation to the restaurant industry and to comparable U.S. companies. The same proxy peer group is used for the Board as is used for our named executive officers (which is identified in more detail in the Benchmarking section of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis in this Proxy Statement). For fiscal 2010,2012, non-employee directors of the Company will receive the following compensation:

•

an annual retainer of $50,000, which, at the director'sdirector’s choosing, will be paid or granted in any combination of cash or restricted stock units as they may elect (with the director receiving a 25% match in restricted stock units for the portion of his or her annual compensation which they elect to take in restricted stock units);

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•

an annual grant of restricted stock units, valued at approximately $110,000.$85,000. Approximately 25% of the value will be granted with a distribution date of four years from the date of grant. The remaining 75% of the value will be granted with a distribution date of, at the director'sdirector’s choice made prior to grant, (i) four years after date of grant, (ii) the director'sdirector’s departure from the Board, (iii) one year following the director'sdirector’s departure from the Board, or (iv) two years following the director'sdirector’s departure from the Board;



•

$6,000 total for each set of regular quarterly meetings of the Board of Directors and associated Board Committees (“Quarterly Meetings”) attended; director attendance at these Quarterly Meetings is expected; if a director fails to attend a Committee meeting where such director is a member of that Committee or if a director fails to attend the board meeting, the director’s total fee shall be reduced by $2,000 for each such meeting not attended;

$2,000 for each other standard meeting of the Board of Directors attended; and



•

$2,000 for each other standard meeting of any Board Committee attended for only the members of that Committee; and

no additional fees for periodic informational updates to the Board of Directors attended.

Providing a combination of equity and cash incents our directors to focus on long-term performance and shareholder value while still recognizing their energy and effort throughout the year. Each director has a choice among cash and restricted stock units for their annual retainer thus allowing each director to receive his/her compensation in a manner that best fits his/her individual needs. However, the Board and we believe it is important that each director maintain an equity stake in our company; therefore, an incentive is provided for any portion of the annual retainer taken in equity.

Committee Chairs the Audit Committee financial expert, and our Lead Director receive a supplementary retainer for accepting the additional responsibilities:

•

Chair of the Audit Committee receives a retainer of $10,000;



•

Audit Committee financial expert receives a retainer of $10,000, unless the individual is also the Chair of the Audit Committee, in which case the total retainer is $10,000;



•

Chair of each of the Compensation and Governance and Nominating Committees receives a retainer of $7,500;



•

Chair of the Executive Committee, if a non-management Director, receives a retainer of $7,500;



•

and

Lead Director of the Board receives a retainer of $25,000.

We also reimburse directors for costs incurred by them in attending meetings of the Board. Equity grants are made on the laterlatest of the sixtieth day following the Board of Directors'Directors’ meeting held on the same day as the annual shareholders meeting or the first business day of the calendar year following the annual shareholders meeting. Previously we grantedFor Fiscal 2012, directors their choice of restricted stock (which was or will be distributed four years from the date of grant) or restricted stock units (which were or will be distributed following a director's departure from the Board). For fiscal 2010, we will no longer grant restricted stock to directors, instead they will receive restricted stock units for all of their equity compensation.compensation with variable distribution dates ranging from four years after grant to two years following departure from the Board (as described above in this Directors’ Compensation section).

15

Fiscal 20092011 Director Compensation Table

(1)

Mr. Brooks was omitted from the Director Compensation Table since he does not receive compensation for serving on our Board. His compensation is reflected in the Summary Compensation Table of this Proxy Statement. Mr. Kirk was omitted from the Director Compensation Table since he resigned from the Board on March 18, 2009 upon appointment as U.S. Trade Representative.

(2)

Reflects the aggregate dollar amount of all fees each director earned in Fiscal 2009 (whether paid in cash or granted in the form of equity) for service as a director, including annual retainer, committee chair fees, meeting and lead director fees. Directors had the option to receive any portion of their $50,000 annual retainer in restricted stock or restricted stock units. We provide a 25% match in kind on any portion of the annual retainer converted to shares. For restricted stock, dividends are paid to directors at the same time as all other shareholders. For restricted stock units, dividends are accumulated and paid upon distribution.

(3)

Directors were granted 9,200 restricted shares for fiscal 2009. They had the option to take the shares as restricted stock (which will be distributed on January 2, 2013) or restricted stock units (which are distributed upon the director's retirement from the Board).

—

Messrs. Girouard, Mims, Mrkonic and Parra, and Ms. Smith elected to receive their entire retainer in stock.

—

Mr. Nye elected to receive 80% of his annual retainer in stock.

Name(1)		Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($)(2)				Stock Awards ($)(3)				Option Awards ($)				Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)				Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($)				All Other Compensation ($)(4)				Total ($)
David Deno(5)			52,000				85,009				—				—				—				—				137,009
Joseph DePinto(5)			91,000				242,325				—				—				—				262				333,587
Michael Dixon(5)			52,000				85,009				—				—				—				—				137,009
Harriet Edelman(5)			90,000				84,994				—				—				—				465				175,459
Marvin J. Girouard(5)			92,000				97,507				—				—				—				271				189,778
Jon Luther(5)			52,000				85,009				—				—				—				—				137,009
John Mims(5)			76,000				84,994				—				—				—				1,166				162,160
George R. Mrkonic(5)			102,000				97,507				—				—				—				—				199,507
Erle Nye(5)			93,500				97,507				—				—				—				516				191,523
Rosendo Parra(5)			85,500				91,251				—				—				—				1,413				178,164
Cece Smith(5)			125,000				97,507				—				—				—				23				222,530

(1)	Mr. Brooks was omitted from the Director Compensation Table since he does not receive compensation for serving on our Board. His compensation is reflected in the Summary Compensation Table of this Proxy Statement.

(2)

Reflects the aggregate dollar amount of all fees each director earned in Fiscal 2011 (whether paid in cash or granted in the form of equity) for service as a director, including annual retainer, committee chair fees, meeting fees and lead director fees. Directors had the option to receive any portion of their $50,000 annual retainer in restricted stock units. We provide a 25% match in kind on any portion of the annual retainer converted to units. For restricted stock units, dividends are accumulated and paid upon distribution.

(3)	Ms. Edelman, Ms. Smith and Messrs. Girouard, Mims, Mrkonic, Nye, Parra and DePinto were each granted 3,981 restricted stock units for fiscal 2011.

—

Messrs. Girouard, Mrkonic, DePinto and Nye, and Ms. Smith received their entire annual retainer in stock. Ms. Edelman and Mr. Mims elected to receive 100% of their annual retainer in cash. Mr. Parra elected to receive 50% of his annual retainer in cash.

—

Following his appointment to the Board on August 2, 2010, Mr. DePinto received a $25,000 cash retainer and 7,400 restricted stock units for his Board service from appointment until re-election at the annual shareholders meeting on November 10, 2010.

—

Messrs. Deno, Dixon and Luther were appointed to the board on April 11, 2011 and were each granted 3,650 restricted stock units and each received a $50,000 cash retainer.

The amounts shown represent the compensation costs for financial reporting purposes in fiscal 2009grant date fair value of the stock awards granted to the directors in fiscal 2009,2011, as determined pursuant to SFAS 123(R)Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (“ASC Topic 718”). These amounts do not include any reduction in value for the possibility of forfeiture.

(4)

Our directors receive a complimentary dining card for use in our restaurants. The dining card value used by each director was less than $10,000. Therefore, the values in this column are the tax gross up that was paid to each director.

(5)

The following table details the Board of Directors outstanding equity. All of our restricted shares are non-forfeitable when granted and are not reported in the table. Mr. Brooks is omitted from this table as his outstanding equity is reflected in the Outstanding Equity Awards Table of this Proxy Statement. Mr. Mims and Ms. Edelman are not listed on this table because all of their equity ownership is held in restricted stock or restricted stock units and they do not hold any stock options.

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Directors Outstanding Equity Awards at 20092011 Fiscal Year End

Communications with the Board of Directors

If you or any other interested party wishes to communicate with the Board of Directors as a group or with an individual director, including the Lead Director, you or the interested party may direct such communications to the intended recipient in care of the General Counsel, 6820 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75240. The communication must be clearly addressed to the specific group or director. Your Board of Directors has instructed the General Counsel to review and forward any such correspondence to the appropriate person or persons for response.

Qualifications to Serve as Director

Each candidate for director must possess at least the following specific minimum qualifications:

1. Each candidate shall be prepared to represent the best interests of all the Company'sCompany’s shareholders and not just one particular constituency.

2. Each candidate shall have demonstrated integrity and ethics in his/her personal and professional life and have established a record of professional accomplishment in his/her chosen field.

17

3. No candidate shall have any material personal, financial or professional interest in any present or potential competitor of the Company.

4. Each candidate shall be prepared to participate fully in activities of the Board of Directors, including active membership on at least one Committee of the Board of Directors and attendance at, and active participation in, meetings of the Board of Directors and the Committee(s) of the Board of Directors of which he or she is a member, and not have other personal or professional commitments that would, in the Governance and Nominating Committee'sCommittee’s sole judgment, interfere with or limit his or her ability to do so.

5. In addition, the Governance and Nominating Committee also desires that candidates possess the following qualities or skills:

(a) Each candidate shall contribute to the overall diversity of the Board of Directors—diversity being broadly construed to mean a variety of opinions, perspectives, personal and professional experiences and backgrounds, such as gender, race and ethnicity differences, as well as other differentiating characteristics.

(b) Each candidate should contribute positively to the existing chemistry and collaborative culture among the members of the Board of Directors.

(c) Each candidate should possess professional and personal experiences and expertise relevant to the Company'sCompany’s business. Relevant experiences might include, among other things, large company CEO experience, senior level multi-unit restaurant or retail experience, and relevant senior level experience in one or more of the following areas—finance, accounting, sales and marketing, organizational development, information technology and public relations.

Although not an automatic disqualifying factor, the inability of a candidate to meet the independence and other governing standards of the NYSE or the SEC will be a significant negative factor in any assessment of a candidate'scandidate’s suitability.

Internal Process of Identifying Candidates

The Governance and Nominating Committee uses a variety of means for identifying potential nominees for director, including the use of outside search firms and recommendations from current members of the Board of Directors and from shareholders. In determining whether to nominate a candidate, the Governance and Nominating Committee considers the current composition and capabilities of serving board members, as well as additional capabilities considered necessary or desirable in light of

existing and future Company needs. One or more of the members of the Governance and Nominating Committee may interview, or have an outside search firm interview, a prospective candidate who is identified as having high potential to satisfy the expectations, requirements, qualities and responsibilities for membership on the Board of Directors. Prospective candidates may also be interviewed by other directors who are not members of the Governance and Nominating Committee. Reports from those interviews or from Governance and Nominating Committee members with personal knowledge and experience with the candidate, resumes, information provided by other contacts and other information deemed relevant by the Governance and Nominating Committee are then considered in determining whether a candidate shall be nominated. The Governance and Nominating Committee also exercises its independent business judgment and discretion in evaluating the suitability of a candidate for nomination.

Nomination Rights of Shareholders

As a shareholder, you may recommend one or more candidates to be considered by the Governance and Nominating Committee as a potential nominee or nominees for election as director of the Company at an annual meeting of shareholders. To do so, you must comply with the notice, information and consent provisions contained in the Company'sCompany’s Bylaws (current copies of the Company'sCompany’s Bylaws are available at no charge from the Secretary of the Company and may also be found in our public filings with the SEC). In order for the candidate recommendation to be timely for the Company's 2010Company’s 2012 annual meeting of shareholders, your notice to the Secretary of the Company must be delivered to our principal executive offices no later than May 18, 2010.2012. Any

18

such recommendations received by the Secretary will be presented to the Governance and Nominating Committee for consideration. AllSuitable candidates (whether identified internally or by a shareholder) who, after evaluation based upon the criteria and process described in "Internal“Internal Process of Identifying Candidates"Candidates” above, are then recommended by the Governance and Nominating Committee and, if approved by the Board of Directors, will be included in our recommended slate of director nominees in our proxy statement.

Current Nominations

The Governance and Nominating Committee conducted an evaluation and assessment of all of the directors, since each director’s term is only one year, for purposes of determining whether to recommend them for nomination for re-election to the Board of Directors. After reviewing the assessment results, the Governance and Nominating Committee determined to recommend to the Board that Messrs. Brooks, Deno, DePinto, Dixon, Luther, Mims, Mrkonic, and Parra and Mmes. Edelman and Smith be nominated for re-election to the Board of Directors. The Board accepted the recommendations and nominated such persons. The Governance and Nominating Committee did not receive any recommendations to shareholders proposing candidates for election to the Board at the annual meeting.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a code of ethics that applies to all members of the Board of Directors and our team members. You may obtain a copy of the code free of charge in the Corporate Governance section of our internet website (http://www.brinker.com/investors/Corporate_Governance.asp) or by written request directed to us, at 6820 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75240, Attention: General Counsel.

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

        The BoardIan Baines,55, is Senior Vice President of Directors generally elects executive officers annually at its final meeting precedingStrategic Innovation, having been appointed to this position in January 2011. Before rejoining the annual meetingCompany, Mr. Baines was with Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill from January 2008 until January 2011, most recently serving as President and CEO, and from January 2006 to December 2007 with Darden Restaurants serving as Smokey Bones President and Executive Vice President of shareholders. We have provided you below certain information about our executive officers. You may find information aboutOperations. Mr. BrooksBaines also served as Regional Vice President of Operations for Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Vice President of Operations for Big Bowl Fresh Cuisine and Thai from May 2004 to January 2006, as Chief Operating Officer and President of Jack Astor’s Bar & Grill for Toronto-based SIR Corp Restaurants from 1993 to 2004, and as Vice President of Restaurant Operations and Vice President of Food and Beverage for Toronto-based Imago Restaurants from 1986 to 1993.

Guy J. Constant, 46, is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, having been appointed to this position in the prior section captioned "ElectionOctober 2010. Mr. Constant previously served as Senior Vice President of Directors—Information About Nominees."Finance from May 2008 to September 2010, and Vice President of Strategic Planning and Analysis and Investor Relations from September 2005 to May 2008, and Senior Director of Compensation from November 2004 to September 2005. Mr. Constant was previously employed by American Airlines for 10 years where he most recently served as Director of Executive Compensation.

Valerie L. Davisson,, 47, 49, is Executive Vice President and Chief PeopleWorks Officer, having been elected to this position in June 2007. Ms. Davisson previously served as Executive Vice President of People Works, elected in June 2005, and as Senior Vice President of Human Resources since June 2004. Before joining the Company, Ms. Davisson served as Vice President, Human Resources for Yum! Brands, Inc. from January 2003 to June 2004,, Vice President, Field Human Resources for Kentucky Fried Chicken, from July 2002 to January 2003, Senior Director, Global Staffing for Yum! Brands, Inc from January 2000 to July 2002,Inc. and Director, Field Human Resources for Pizza Hut from December 1998 to January 2000.Hut.

Todd E. Diener, 52,David Parsley,65, is ExecutiveSenior Vice President and Chili's Grill & Bar and On The Border Mexican Grill and Cantina President,of Supply Chain Management, having been appointed to this position in March 2009, havingMay 2011. Mr. Parsley previously served as Executive Vicethe President and Chili's Grill & Bar President since June 2005, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since June 2003,CEO of Centralized Supply Chain Services, LLC from February 2009 to May 2011. Mr. Parsley was employed as Senior Vice President and Chili's Grill & Bar President since May 1998, andof Supply Chain Management for DineEquity from November 2007 to February 2009, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management for Applebees International from April 2000 to November 2007. Mr. Parsley previously held executive positions for Prandium, Inc., the Panda Management Company and Chief Operating OfficerCarl Karcher Enterprises. Mr. Parsley is a member of Chili's since July 1996. Mr. Diener joined the Company as a Chili's Manager Trainee in 1981Institute of Supply Chain Management and was promoted to General Manager in 1983, Area Director in 1985, and Regional Director in 1987. Mr. Diener became Regional Vice President in 1989, a position he held until July 1996.the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

John RealeSteve Provost, 55,51, is Senior Vice President and Global Business Development President,of Maggiano’s Little Italy, having been appointed to this position in JanuaryNovember 2009, having previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Interim President of Romano's Macaroni Grill since August 2007, Senior Vice PresidentBrand Strategy for Maggiano’s from April 2009 to November 2009. Mr. Provost previously served as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Global Business Development since June 2007, Chief Operating Officer for Romano's Macaroni Grill since January 2005, and Regional Vice President for Romano's Macaroni Grill since February 2004. Previously, Mr. Reale was with Carlson Restaurants Worldwide from March 1995 until February 2004, most recently serving asExecutive Vice President of International Business.Quizno’s Master, LLC from 2007 to 2009. Mr. RealeProvost was with Ground Round,employed by Yum Brands, Inc. from 1979 through 1995.

Wyman T. Roberts, 50, is Senior Vice President, Maggiano's Little Italy President,1991 to 2007, serving in various roles, most recently as Head Coach, Southeast Region for the KFC brand from 2003 to 2005 and Chief Marketing Officer for the Long John Silver’s and A&W brands.

Wyman T. Roberts, 52, is President of Chili’s Grill & Bar, having been appointed to this position in MarchNovember 2009, having previously served as Senior Vice President, Maggiano’s Little Italy President, and Maggiano'sChief Marketing Officer since March 2009, and Senior Vice President and Maggiano’s Little Italy President since August 2005. Mr. Roberts previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for NBC'sNBC’s Universal Parks & Resorts from December 2000 until August 2005. Mr. Roberts was previously employed by Darden Restaurants, Inc. for 16 years where he most recently served as Executive Vice President, Marketing.

Charles M. SonstebyCarin L. Stutz, 56,54, is ExecutivePresident of Global Business Development, having been appointed to this position in December 2010, and previously serving as Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations from December 2009 to December 2010, and Senior Vice President and Chief FinancialOperations Officer having been electedfor Global Business Development from June 2009 to this positionDecember 2009. Prior to joining Brinker, Ms. Stutz was employed by Applebee’s International, Inc. from 1999 to 2007, serving in May 2001. Mr. Sonsteby joined the Companyvarious roles, most recently as Director of the Company's Tax, Treasury and Risk Management departments in 1990. In 1994 he was named Vice President and Treasurer and was promoted to SeniorExecutive Vice President of Finance in 1997, a position he held until May 2001. Mr. SonstebyOperations from January 2005 to November 2007. Previously, Ms. Stutz was Division Vice President with Wendy’s International,

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Inc., Regional Operations Vice President for Sodexho, USA, and Vice President of Corporate Operations for NutriSystem, Inc. Prior to 1990, Ms. Stutz was employed for 12 years with Wendy’s International, Inc. Ms. Stutz is also a member of the BoardWomen’s Foodservice Forum, serving in various leadership roles, most recently as Chair of Directors of Zale Corporation.the Executive Committee.

Roger F. Thomson, 60,62, is Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary, having been elected to this position in June 1996. Mr. Thomson joined the Company as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in 1993 and was promoted to Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in 1994. Mr. Thomson served as a Director of the Company from 1993 until 1995.

Michael B. Webberman, 49,Kelli Valade,41, is Executive Vice President of Brand Solutions,Chief Operating Officer for Chili’s Grill & Bar, having been electedappointed to this position in June 2003. Mr. Webberman joined the Company in 1989July 2009. Ms. Valade previously served as a Senior Financial Analyst for Chili's. He was promoted to Vice President of Operations Analysis in 1996 and Vice President of Planning and Analysis in 2000. Mr. Webberman was named Senior Vice President of ConceptChili’s Grill & Bar and On the Border PeopleWorks and Brinker Shared Services in April 2001.from October 2008 to July 2009, and Vice President for Emerging Brands and Corporate Human Resources from 2002 to 2008, and Director of Human Resources for On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. Ms. Valade previously served as Manager of Training and Recruiting for Carlson Restaurants Worldwide’s Specialty Concepts Division from 1994 until 1996. Ms. Valade holds a seat on the founders board of the Multi-Cultural Food Service Hospitality Alliance and sits on the Advisory Board for People Report.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Throughout this discussion we make reference to terms that are used internally to define our team member population. These team member groupings are described below:

•

"

“named executive officers"officers” (NEOs)—our five most highly compensated executives detailed in this discussion;



•

"

“Brinker Leadership Team"Team”—this is our key leadership group of our CEO and our CEO'sCEO’s direct executive reports and other key officers (which include our executive vice presidents, our brand presidents, our head of global development, our chief operating officer of our largest brand, our head of strategic innovation and our head of global development)supply chain management);



•

"senior vice presidents and above"—the group of our executive officers, who are designated as Section 16 reporting officers, for whom the Committee specifically reviews and approves compensation. This group includes the Brinker Leadership Team as well as other key executive officers within our Company;



•

"

“RSC team member"member”—any of our team members who work in a support role at our restaurant support center (RSC), not specifically for one of our restaurant brands; and



•

"

“brand team member"member”—any of our team members who work for a particular restaurant brand.

Structure and Role of the Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee ("Committee"(“Committee”) is comprised entirely of Independent Directors who are responsible for aligning our compensation programs with our compensation philosophy of rewarding performance. Specifically, the Committee reviews and approves any compensation decisions regarding senior vice presidents and abovethe Brinker Leadership Team (with input from the CEO), including the CEO (who also is Chairman of the Board). The CEO does not provide input on his own compensation to the Committee. Further information about the duties of the Committee can be found in the Compensation Committee Charter, which can be found on our website athttp://brinker.com/corp_gov/comp_committee.asp. To make certain the Committee is able to effectively carry out its responsibilities, it takes the following actions:

•

Retains an independent consultant (currently Pearl Meyer & Partners) to advise on executive compensation.



•

Benchmarks, with the assistance of an outside, independent third party, data to determine competitive compensation levels based on a peer group that represents both restaurant companies and those companies with whom we compete for talent. The peer group for each officer may vary depending on the nature and scope of his/her individual responsibilities.



•

Approves the design and performance metrics used in our incentive plan.



•

Reviews annually detailed compensation tally sheets for the named executive officers.



•

Submits recommendations to the full Board of Directors for approval and ratification of the CEO'sCEO’s compensation.



•

Holds executive sessions (without our management present) at every Committee meeting.

Executive Summary

        Brinker'sBrinker’s compensation programs are structured to reinforce our strategic principles—to be a premier and progressive company with a balanced approach towards people, qualitysales, profits, guests and profitability,team members.

Fiscal 2011 saw improved results for the Company despite a broader economy that continues to struggle with improving but weak economic factors such as total employment, consumer confidence, and to enhance long-term shareholder value.

        Fiscal 2009spending levels. The economy was another challenging year for us. The economic challenges that startedalso challenged by soaring governmental deficits. Despite the weak overall economy, our continuation and refinement of fiscal 2010 initiatives drove much of our gains in fiscal 2008 continued well into fiscal 2009. We saw a decline2011 resulting by year

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end in overall revenues of approximately 14.5% primarily due to declines in capacity, as well as decreases inpositive comparable restaurant sales across all brands. We did drive gains in margin improvement offsetting some of the decrease in overall revenues resulting in increases in earnings per diluted share. Some of our initiatives included organizational restructuring, reduced and targeted capital expenditures, culinary initiativesguest traffic at company-owned restaurants and continued international franchise growth. The initiatives aided in part our achievingincreased earnings per share gains. Ason a resultyear-over-year basis. The initiatives included the implementation of an improved service model at Chili’s; the challenging environmentimplementation of improved food preparation procedures; the introduction of retrofitting our kitchens with new technologies and equipment; and the repurchase of shares of our mixedcommon stock. The results showed in labor efficiencies, better guest feedback, kitchen efficiencies, increased inventory control and value return to our shareholders. This positive financial success our officers, including the NEOs, did not receive a merit increase for fiscal 2009 andwas reflected in our variable compensation programs paid below target.with short-term programs seeing increased payout while long-term programs continue to be impacted by previous years’ underperformance.

Our compensation programs for executive officers, including our NEOs, reflect the competitive environment in which we operate and align a pay-for-performance philosophy. More specifically we:

•

Use variable compensation plans to make-up the majority of potential total compensation placing significant amounts of compensation "at risk"“at risk”;



•

Establish incentive plan payout levels that provide an opportunity for participants to earn compensation above median levels when performance goals are exceeded and our stock price increases, and significantly reduced compensation when our financial performance is below expectations or our stock price decreases;



•

Utilize both cash and equity elements with varying time horizons and financial metrics to motivate and reward sustained performance that is aligned with shareholder interests but is not tied to a single financial measure or measurement period that could result in unintended consequences;



•

Provide competitive levels of compensation to attract and retain the best qualified executive talent. Both the Committee and our Brinker Leadership Team strongly believe that the caliber of our overall officer team makes a significant difference in our sustained success over the long-term;



•

Link our officers'officers’ interests with the sustained performance of the company by having executives satisfy stock ownership guidelines; and



•

Allow actual compensation to vary based on individual performance.

Pay for Performance

The Company’s executive compensation programs are aligned with our business initiatives and have been designed to pay commensurate with level of performance generated. This philosophy is most evident in the mix of pay used to compensate our executives.

Our fiscal 2011 compensation packages for our CEO and NEOs are heavily weighted towards variable compensation. The variable compensation awarded in fiscal 2011 included an annual incentive under our short-term incentive plan, and the economic value of stock options, performance RSUs (at target), and career equity.

As the graphs below show, performance-based incentives constitute the largest portion of target total direct compensation for our CEO and other NEOs:

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The Company believes the compensation programs are an important factor in driving our NEOs’ performance to achieve long term EPS growth. The success of our strategy is represented below. In years when our performance is below target, our NEO pay programs effectively reduced pay levels. Conversely, when performance is improved compensation increases, aligning our pay programs with shareholder returns.

* EPS calculation excludes special items and discontinued operations

Roles of the Compensation Committee, Consultants and Management

The Compensation Committee is responsible for determining the compensation of our senior vice presidents and above,the Brinker Leadership Team, including the named executive officers. All compensation recommendations are reviewed and approved by the independent directors of the full Board. The Committee utilizes three sources during their evaluation process: (1) Pearl Meyer & Partners ("(“Pearl Meyer"Meyer”), the Board'sBoard’s independent consulting firm; (2) Hewitt Associates ("Hewitt"Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC (“Meridian”); and (3) management. The Committee annually reviews the performance of all consultants.

Pearl Meyer has been retained by and reports directly to the Compensation Committee. Pearl Meyer does not have any other consulting engagements with management. The Committee regularly asks Pearl Meyer to provide independent advice on current trends in compensation design, including compensation levels, the merits of particular forms of compensation, relative weighting of compensation elements and compensation best practices.

        HewittMeridian is also retained by the Committee and provides detailed benchmarking data based on our benchmarking peer group. HewittMeridian does not have any other consulting engagements with management. Meridian generates an independent report that is utilized in determining compensation levels for our senior vice presidents and above.Brinker Leadership Team. A more detailed discussion of the benchmarking process is provided in the Benchmarking section below.

Based on the benchmark data and individual performance, the CEO provides input and recommendations to the Committee in setting total compensation for the senior vice presidents and aboveBrinker Leadership Team (other than

(other than

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his own compensation). The Committee considers these data sources, and applies its own independent judgment in establishing a total compensation program (base salary increases, if any; short-term incentive targets as a percentage of base pay; and long-term incentive targets) that aligns the interests of the executives with those of our shareholders.

Benchmarking

The Committee engages an independent third party to provide market data (base salary, short-term incentive targets, long-term incentive values, and total compensation). For fiscal 2009,2011, we retained HewittMeridian to provide us with data drawn from their proprietary database. The benchmarking peer group is carefully selected based on criteria including restaurant and brand product industries, operating structure, location and size. We were near the median in terms of revenue size as compared to our benchmarking peer group. Proxy data from our Performance Share Plan peer group (which is identified in more detail in the Long-Term Incentives section of this Compensation Discussion and Analysis) was blended with data from Hewitt'sMeridian’s database for the NEOs to provide us with benchmark information that we believe accurately reflects the market in which we compete for executive talent, particularly for the named executive officers. The following table lists the companies used in fiscal 20092011 as our benchmarking proxy peer group for the named executive officers:

Benchmarking Proxy Peer Group

        Hewitt'sMeridian’s benchmark information was used to establish ranges for total compensation (base salary + short-term cash incentives + long-term equity incentives). We do not, however, target a specific total compensation level. We strive to be competitive in the marketplace by appropriately balancing all elements of compensation (short-term versus long-term and fixed versus variable) while recognizing our performance, as well as the individual'sindividual’s performance, criticality and experience, and internal equity. There is no fixed percentage which determines the mix between cash and non-cash compensation, but compensation is significantly weighted towards variable compensation (short and long-term). The table below shows the percentage of fixed versus variable compensation elements for targeted total compensation.

Targeted Fixed Versus Variable Compensation Mix for the Named Executive Officers for Fiscal 2009
2011

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Fiscal 20092011 Executive Compensation and Benefit Components:

For the fiscal year ended June 24, 2009,29, 2011, the principal components of compensation and benefits for our named executive officers are listed:

•

Base Salary;



•

Short-Term Incentives;



•

Long-Term Incentives;



•

Retirement Benefits;



•

Health and Welfare Benefits; and



•

Perquisites.

In the sections that follow we detail how each component of compensation is evaluated. It is important to note that while each individual component is reviewed,reviewed; all decisions are made in a total compensation context.

Base Salary

Base salaries provide our team members with a level of certainty about their compensation. Annually, we review base salaries during our benchmarking process. An individual'sindividual’s base salary is dependent on the size and scope of the position, their experience and most importantly their performance.

For fiscal 2009,2011, officers, including the NEOs, did not receivereceived a 3% merit increase. This decision was made basedincrease on average with the challenging operating environment for fiscal 2008 and its expected continuation into fiscal 2009.rest of the organization.

Short-Term Incentives

Our Profit Sharing Plan is a non-qualified annual incentive arrangement in which all corporateRSC team members, including the named executive officers, and certain restaurant brand team members participate. The Plan measures both financial performance and individual performance.

•

At target,²/3 of the award is based on financial performance and¹/3 of the award is based on individual performance.



•

•

At target,2/3 of the award is based on financial performance and1/3 of the award is based on individual performance.

The financial portion of the plan measures actual earnings per diluted share (EPS) versus a target EPS for RSCall team members. For brand team members the metric is actual profit before tax (PBT) versus target PBT. These targets are established within the first quarter of our fiscal year by the Board and are designed to reinforce our focus on profitability and enhancement of long-term shareholder value.



•

Individual performance is measured based on the achievement of key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs are established at the beginning of the year and align with our strategic goals. An individual performance component allows us to recognize critical factors to our performance but which are not necessarily quantifiable or linked directly to our financial results;performance; and to reward an individual'sindividual’s contribution to the organization. KPIs can include such items as project implementations, customerguest satisfaction, or employee engagement.

        AllFor all of our named executive officers'officers, the financial performance portion of the short-term incentive is based on EPS, except for Mr. Diener, whose short-term incentive is based 50% on EPS and 50% on PBT for Chili's Grill & Bar.EPS. The maximum award that any individual can receive is 150% of his/her individual short-term incentive target, and minimum thresholds must be achieved to earn a payout. The table below details the actual short-term incentive payout versus target for the NEOs:

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Fiscal 20092011 Actual Short-Term Incentive Payout versus Target

Fiscal 20092011 Profit Sharing Plan—This year the Company established a target which was consistent with our long-term goal of annual EPS growth. Our operating climate was challenging with declines in traffic to our restaurants and lower comparable restaurant sales across all our brands. We were profitable and able to return value to our shareholders, but not at the planned level. Actual adjusted non-GAAP EPS for the Profit Sharing Plan was $1.57$1.69 compared to a target non-GAAP EPS for the Profit Sharing Plan of $1.61. This achievement resulted$1.52, resulting in a below target profit sharing150% payout under the Business Performance Metric,Metric. The Brinker Leadership Team, including the NEOs, did not achieve full performance on their KPIs as they did not meet their goals on our annual composite Comp Sales performance (missing by 70 basis points) and a targetthe Cash Flows performance (missing by 0.5%). This achievement negatively impacted their payout under the Individual Performance Metric.

The formulas used to calculate both plan and actual performance are outlined in our Profit Sharing Plan. However, from time to time unplanned events occur that are not explicitly detailed within the Profit Sharing Plan. In such instances, the Compensation Committee reviews the scenarios and determines how specific events should be accounted for under the Profit Sharing Plan. The intent when making such decisions is to ensure the impact to the Profit Sharing Plan is fair to both participants and shareholders. The Committee reviewed and determined the treatment of the following items, among others, which impacted the earnings calculation used in the Profit Sharing Plan: impairment charges, impact on earnings related to the sale or closure ofclosed restaurants, accounting gains from franchise activity, restructuring costs, planned pre-opening expenses and discontinued capital expenditures.depreciation on equipment and other assets.

Long-Term Incentives

We grant a mix of stock options, performance shares, and career equity to all of our officers with the belief that meeting our long-term strategic goals will increase our stock price. Target long-term incentive values are determined by the Committee by analyzing benchmark data, individual performance, program cost and total compensation targets. Once the target value is established, the number of shares granted as stock options, performance shares and career equity is based on delivering approximately 40% of the value in stock options and the remaining 60% in performance shares and career equity. Our equity programs give officers a stake in the potential rewards provided to shareholders as a result of their efforts.

        The Committee determined at the beginning of fiscal 2007 that allAll equity based awards, including stock options, will beare granted on the last Thursday of each August. August is the month each year that we pay out any earned short-term incentives and provide merit increases, if applicable. However, the Committee will not grant equity compensation awards in anticipation of the release of material nonpublic information so the grant date could change if such a case should occur.

Stock Options

Stock options are intended to motivate participants to increase our stock price as they only have value if the market price of our stock increases over the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. The actual

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compensation realized from stock options is dependent on both the increase in our stock price and each participant'sparticipant’s decision on when to exercise. Our stock options vest 25% per year over four years and have a term of eight years. At the end of fiscal 2009, 99% of our outstanding stock options were underwater reflecting the decline in our stock price during fiscal 2009 relative to previous years.

Performance Share UnitsShares

To balance out the volatility of stock options while still aligning participants with shareholder interests, we also grant performance shares. Performance shares are earned based on our relative total shareholder return (TSR) compared to a select group of publicly-traded restaurant companies over a three year measurement period. The peer group is based on those companies with whom we compete for investor dollars and executive talent (these companies are also used in our executive compensation benchmarking). TSR is the measurement of the appreciation in the stock price for each company, plus dividends, if any. The following is a list of the fiscal 20092011 TSR peer group:

Fiscal 2009-20112011-2013 Total Shareholder Return Peer Group

The target award (which is granted at the beginning of the measurement period) is adjusted by the payout percentage which ranges from 0% to 175%. To earn 100% of a target award, we have to rank 7th in our peer group. Any payout is reduced by 20% if our TSR is negative. The table below reflects the ranking and related payout percentage for the fiscal 2009-20112011-2013 performance share plan.

Earned shares are distributed shortly after the completion of the three year performance period. Earned shares are not subject to further vesting requirements,requirements; although they may need to be retained to meet stock ownership guidelines (see discussion below).

Fiscal 2007–2009–Fiscal 20092011 Performance Share Plan—This was the second year for a payout under our performance share plan. We ranked in 9th10th place and earned a 56%50% payout. The payout was reduced by 20% due to negative shareholder return during this period.

Career Equity

Career equity is a restricted stock unit program that works as a retention device since the shares only vest upon retirement (detailed information concerning our retirement provisions can be found below in the paragraph titledRetirement Definitions and Payouts). The value realized by executives is based on our stock price performance from the grant date until the executive'sexecutive’s retirement, which reinforces our long-term strategic goal of enhancing long-term shareholder value. Career equity makes up less than 10% of the total long-term incentive

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value for our NEOs. The number of shares granted each year fluctuates based on our stock price. The goal is to provide the NEOs approximately two-times their annual salary in stock at retirement (assuming their career spanned at least fifteen years from the inception of the program).

Stock Ownership Guidelines

We have stock ownership guidelines for our Board of Directors and our senior vice presidents and above, including the named executive officers. Stock ownership aligns these officers and directors with shareholders and promotes good corporate citizenship. These guidelines were first adopted in fiscal 2007.

The guidelines for ourall senior vice presidents and above define stock ownership to include any shares currently owned; vested, in the money stock options (which are converted for this purpose to share equivalents based on the "in“in the money"money” value of the stock option); unvested restricted stock or restricted stock units; and one-third of any unvested performance shares. We include one-third of the unvested performance shares, because on average, it is expected that at least one-third of the shares will vest over multiple performance cycles. Thus, by counting these shares towards their ownership guideline, we limit the need for them to purchase shares in the open market to meet the guideline.

The guidelines for our Board of Directors define stock ownership to include any shares currently owned; vested, in the money stock options (which are converted for this purpose to share equivalents based on the "in“in the money"money” value of the stock option); and unvested restricted stock or restricted stock units. The guideline was established by taking a multiple of base salary (annual retainer in the case of the Board) which was used to calculate a fixed share amount by position. The guidelines are as follows:

Stock Ownership Guidelines

Ownership is reviewed annually by the Board of Directors. Officers subject to the guidelines have five years to accumulate the necessary shares. The five year period is measured one of two ways. If an officer was a senior vice president on the date the program went into effect, and therefore subject to the guideline, the five year period began on July 1, 2006. Otherwise, the five year period begins on the date the officer is promoted to senior vice president. If, however, such officer was not previously an employee of the company, then the officer will be provided six years to meet the guideline. Should any of these officers be below the guideline after being in the program for five years (or six, as applicable), they willmay receive half of any short-term incentives in shares until the guideline is met. Approximately 24%13% percent of the current senior vice presidents andmeet the guideline due to most of our senior vice presidents being appointed to their position since the beginning of fiscal 2009. Of our other officers above and 80% of the senior vice presidents (including named executive officers, alreadyofficers), 43% meet the guideline.guideline due to recent appointments to their positions. Directors have four years to accumulate the necessary shares. Currently 100%73% of the current directors meet the guideline. No officer or director is permitted to hedge the economic ownership of their guideline.

Fiscal 20102012 Considerations

The Compensation Committee conducted a detailed review of our compensation programs and benefits in comparison to our operating climate and the market as a whole. The Committee determined that we had the appropriate mix of compensation and benefits in place (cash, short-term incentives, stock options, restricted stock units, and 401(k)). The Committee did review the mix of companies in the TSR peer group. The Committee determined it was necessary to revise the mix in to increase the number of casual dining competitors and asreduce the number of quick service companies. The remaining quick service companies are industry leaders or have an

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equivalent market capitalization to the Company. As a result, no major changes were made to our program for fiscal 2010.

        For2012 and forward, CEC Entertainment, Inc., Jack in the second yearBox, Inc., Sonic Corp. and Starbucks Corporation were removed from the TSR peer group and BJ’s Restaurants, Inc., Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. and Texas Roadhouse, Inc. were added. Additionally, under the Performance Share Plan for grants in fiscal 2012 and forward, the Board imposed a row it has been determined that officers will not receivecap on the value of the maximum payout under the plan to two and one-half times the stock price at the time of grant. The Board did approve a merit increase pool for all team members for the fiscal year.

Retirement Benefits

Savings Plans

Our 401(k) Savings Plan ("(“Plan I"I”) and Deferred Income Plan ("(“Deferred Plan"Plan”) are designed to provide the Company'sCompany’s team members with a competitive tax-deferred long-term savings vehicle. Plan I is a qualified 401(k) plan and the Deferred Plan is a non-qualified deferred compensation plan.

•

Plan I

All of our team members, including those who may be classified as highly compensated by the IRS, who have attained the age of twenty-one and completed both one year and one thousand hours of service with the Company are eligible to participate in Plan I. We will match 100% of each participant'sparticipant’s contribution for the first 3% of the participant'sparticipant’s base salary and bonus and 50% for the next 2% of the participant'sparticipant’s salary and bonus. All Company contributions vest immediately.

•

Deferred Plan

The Deferred Plan is a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for all of our officers, including the named executive officers. Deferred Plan participants elect the percentage of their salary and bonus, not to exceed 50%, they wish to defer into their Deferred Plan account. Deferrals earn a flat rate of interest which is compounded monthly. The interest rate is based on the prime rate on the first business day each November. This year, because of the instability in the market we placedThe interest rate has a collar on the interest rate. It cannot increasepreventing it from increasing or decreasedecreasing more than one percentage point over the previous year. The collar went into effect for calendar year 2009.

We do not match executives'executives’ deferrals under the Deferred Plan. Plan liabilities are notionally funded through Corporate Owned Life Insurance policies held within a Rabbi Trust. Trust assets are subject to the claims of the Company'sCompany’s creditors.

Medical Benefits

Select officers, including the named executive officers, are eligible to receive retiree medical insurance from us if they meet our definition of retirement (described below in the paragraph of the section entitled"“Retirement Definitions and Payouts"Payouts”). This fully insured policy is paid for by both the retiree and the Company. The cost split between retiree and the Company mimics that of the cost split for our active employees and their medical benefits. Currently, that percentage is approximately 60%70% of the cost paid by the Company and 40%30% of the cost paid by the participant. Participants are eligible to receive this coverage until age 65.

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---

Retirement Definitions and Payouts

For those executives who remain with us for their career we want to ensure they are able to benefit from their contributions to our long-term success. Therefore, we have defined retirement provisions that allow for post-employment benefits. Early retirement is defined as age plus years of service equal 70, with a

minimum age of 55. Normal retirement is defined as age plus years of service equal 70, with a minimum age of 60, or age 65 (regardless of service). This definition is applied to all of our equity programs, our retiree medical program, and our Profit Sharing Plan. Listed below are our programs and their treatment under early and normal retirement:

Health and Welfare Benefits

All of our salaried employees are eligible for health and welfare benefits, including the named executive officers. Our salaried employees also receive term life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability. The level of company-provided coverage for the senior vice presidents and above, including the named executive officers, is at a higher rate than other employees for some company-provided benefits. We have provided detailed information in the chart below for the named executive officers.

Company Paid Benefits for the Named Executive Officers

Perquisites

We provide our officers with perquisites that are generally intended to promote the officers well-being and efficiency. The Committee reviews the perquisites during our annual benchmarking process for reasonableness and consistency with competitive practice. We currently provide our officers with the following perquisites:

•

a car allowance;



•

a financial planning allowance;



•

a dining card;



•

an annual physical reimbursement;



•

an airline club membership;



•

a cell phone allowance; and



•

a health club reimbursement.

We do not own or lease any aircraft for the benefit of management. Providing perquisites separately, and not rolling them into base salary, ensures those dollars are not included in our calculations for benefits

such as life insurance and other programs that use base salary in their calculation such as the Profit Sharing Plan and our 401(k) Plan.

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Change in Control

We do not have any change in control agreements in place with any of our officers. However, our stock programs and Profit Sharing Plan do contain change in control provisions. Under our stock option program, in the event of a change in control, the unvested options are accelerated and the optionee has the full remaining term to exercise. We have made a change to this provision that will taketook effect in fiscal 2009 and future years where we will only accelerate "in“in the money"money” stock options.

Vesting on all unvested restricted shares is also accelerated as of the date of change in control. Under our Performance Share Plan, the participant becomes 100% vested and the relative ranking is established as of the date of the change in control thus ending the measurement period. In no event will less than 100% of the target award be distributed to the participant. This "floor"“floor” amount was included to ensure the retention of plan participants through the change-in-control date. As for our Profit Sharing Plan, if a change in control should occur prior to the end of the fiscal year, the participant will be eligible to receive a payment equal to the greater of the payout as calculated under the Plan provisions or his/her annual target award. Again, the "floor"“floor” award is included to ensure retention and to provide the participant the benefit of the doubt when the measurement period is truncated.

Tax Implications

The Committee has considered the impact of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code. This section disallows a tax deduction for any publicly-held corporation for individual compensation to certain executives of such corporation exceeding $1,000,000 in any taxable year, unless compensation is performance-based. It is the intent of the Company and the Committee to maximize the deductibility of our executives'executives’ compensation whenever possible. However, the Committee does not believe that compensation decisions should be based solely upon the amount of compensation that is deductible for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, the Committee reserves the right to award compensation that is or could become non-deductible when it believes that such compensation is consistent with our strategic goals and in our best interests. For fiscal year 2009,2011, we believe the annual incentive payments, stock options, and performance shares all qualify for deduction under section 162(m).

Administration of Compensation Program

The Committee'sCommittee’s administration of the executive compensation program is in accordance with the principles outlined at the beginning of this Compensation Discussion and Analysis. The Committee believes that our compensation programs provide the necessary incentives and flexibility to promote our performance-based compensation philosophy while being consistent with our objectives. Our financial performance supports the compensation practices employed during the past year. No member of the Committee serves or previously served as an employee or officer of the Company.

Recoupment Provisions

        During theIn fiscal year,2009, the Committee determined that clawback language should be inserted in our individual plan documents and our grant agreements going forward. Specifically, language was adopted stating that if the Board of Directors determines any fraud, negligence or intentional misconduct by an Officer was a significant contributing factor to the Company having to restate all or a portion of its financial statements, the Board or Committee shall take, in its discretion, such action as it deems necessary to remedy the misconduct and prevent its recurrence. Further, under Section 304 of Sarbanes-Oxley, if the Company is required to restate its financials due to material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirements as a result of misconduct, the CEO and CFO must reimburse the company for (1) any bonus

or other incentive-based or equity-based compensation received during the 1236 months following the first public issuance of the non-complying document and (2) any profits realized from the sale of securities of the Company during those 1236 months.

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Consideration of Prior Amounts Realized

In furtherance of the Company'sCompany’s philosophy of rewarding executives for future superior performance, prior stock compensation gains (or the lack thereof) are not considered in setting future compensation levels.

REPORT OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

The Compensation Committee of the Company has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with management and, based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.

FISCAL 2009 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
MARVIN J. GIROUARD

(1)

The amounts shown represent the compensation costs for financial reporting purposes in fiscal 2009 of equity granted

JOSEPH DEPINTO

JOHN MIMS

GEORGE R. MRKONIC

Compensation Policies and Practices As They Relate to the NEOs in fiscal 2009, as well asCompany’s Risk Management

We believe that our compensation costspolicies and practices for such grants made in prior years as determined pursuant to SFAS 123(R). These amountsall team members, including officers, do not include any reductioncreate risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. We believe that the Company has appropriate safeguards in the value for the possibility of forfeiture. See footnote 1 to our 2009 Annual Report to Shareholders in Exhibit 13 of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 24, 2009 ("Form 10-K") and Critical Accounting Estimates in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Form 10-K for the assumptions made in determining the SFAS 123(R) values.

(2)

The amounts shown were earned under our fiscal 2009 Profit Sharing Plan. Details about the plan can be found in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis under the section titled "Short-Term Incentives" of this Proxy Statement.

(3)

Reflects the above market interest paid in the Deferred Plan to the NEOs. The market rate is the applicable federal rate published under revenue ruling 1274. The rate for June 2008 was 4.57%. Our Deferred Plan paid 7.75% in calendar year 2008 and 6.75% in calendar year 2009.

(4)

The amounts shown in this column reflect the value of benefits and perquisites provided to the NEOs during the year. These include: car allowance, dining card, taxable travel, financial planning, health club reimbursement, annual physical, phone allowance, life insurance, retiree medical, contributions to the qualified 401(k) plan and vacation buyback.

(5)

The majority of the other income dollars are for benefits:

—

Mr. Brooks received $33,741 in taxable life insurance;

—

Mr. Sonsteby received $22,748 in taxable life insurance and $11,280 for retiree medical;

—

Mr. Diener received $12,172 for vacation buyback, $13,275 in taxable life insurance and $20,858 for retiree medical;

—

Mr. Thomson received $25,948 in taxable life insurance; and

—

Mr. Webberman received $10,334 in employer 401(k) match contributions and $20,357 for retiree medical.

Except as otherwise specifically noted above, the amount of or incremental cost to usplace with respect to anythe compensation programs that assist in mitigating excessive risk-taking that could harm our value or reward poor judgment by our officers and team members. These safeguards include: managing pay opportunities to market levels through peer benchmarking; balancing performance focus between near-term objectives and long-term shareholder value creation; issuing equity awards that vest over multi-year time horizons; capping cash incentive plan payments; maintaining stock ownership guidelines for our executive officers; and no employment agreements. Furthermore, the Compensation Committee retains its own independent compensation consultant to provide input on executive pay matters, meets regularly, and approves all performance goals, award vehicles, and pay opportunity levels.

In fiscal 2011, the Compensation Committee reviewed the concept of risk, as it relates to our compensation programs and determined that our programs do not encourage excessive or inappropriate risk. In reaching this conclusion, the perquisites or other benefits did not exceed $25,000 or 10%Compensation Committee noted that long term incentives are predominately equity based and tied to shareholder returns, market comparisons are used, ownership guidelines are applied, and the majority of the total amount of perquisites and personal benefitsvariable pay is tied to any NEO.company performance.

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FISCAL 2011 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE