A NEARLY four-decades-old Italian chain that was once thriving has dwindled down its restaurant count from more than 200 spots to just nine.
Founded in 1988, Romano’s Macaroni Grill was slated to become a huge rival to Olive Garden – but a series of struggles and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing have led to the steady shrinking of its store fleet.
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Despite a high demand for Italian food, the chain has shut down over 85% of its restaurants as part of a slow decline.
Macaroni Grill was founded a few decades back in San Antonio by Phil Romano, the creator of Fuddruckers, with the casual dining brand acquired by Chili’s owner Brinker International the following year.
“Positioned as an Olive Garden competitor, Romano’s served standard Italian fare and leaned into its Italian theme: It staffed opera singers and played Italian language lessons in its restrooms,” reported Restaurant Business.
Macaroni Grill saw much success under the wings of Brinker, hitting its peak of 237 locations in 2006, per data from Technomic, and building a strong business around its beloved “make-your-own-pasta” offering.
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After several ownership changes in the following years, Romano’s Macaroni Grill ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 2017, immediately shutting down 37 restaurants and finishing the year with 91 stores.
The company cited struggling sales and rising expenses in its Chapter 11 filing.
Nishant Machado, Macaroni Grill’s acting CEO at the time, blamed “an overall downturn for the casual dining industry,” including consumers’ increasing preference for “cheaper, faster alternatives.”
Although the Italian chain eventually emerged from bankruptcy, it has been steadily declining since then, with the pandemic hitting Macaroni Grill especially hard.
In 2020, the chain shut down half of its locations, bringing its restaurant count down to 43, per Restaurant Business.
“And unlike other casual-dining chains, it did not enjoy a post-COVID rebound: Sales have declined every year since as it continued to close locations,” reported the outlet.
Today, Macaroni Grill has just nine operational restaurants remaining across seven states – California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, and Utah – including two in airports.
Although the company’s official website currently lists 17 spots, recent investigative reports and local news outlets have confirmed that several of those are actually permanently closed.
Despite its struggles over the years, Macaroni Grill still has hope for the future.
CEO Jason Kemp shared in a LinkedIn post last year that the chain was slated to launch a franchising program in the US for the first time since 2013.
Macaroni Grill has also added a quick-serve concept, Twisted Mac, and is still selling franchises.
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Dining and Cooking