The popularity of Italian food in the United States cannot be overstated. That popularity comes, of course, from the history of the country and its population. The 19th and 20th centuries saw a huge amount of Italian immigration to both major cities and towns alike, with the food culture of the country settling in and becoming part of the fabric of American society. Nowadays, you don’t have to search long to find a good Italian meal — and the wealth of Italian restaurant chains across the country make things even easier. Walk five minutes in any direction and you’re pretty likely to bump into an Olive Garden, Maggiano’s, or Buca di Beppo, and be able to grab an Italian-American dish at a reasonable price.
However, not all of these chains have been permanently successful. Even the biggest Italian restaurant chains have had some struggles in their time, and have been at risk of closing entirely. That’s not the American way, though — and there have been just as many comebacks as there have been failures, with restaurant chains finding ingenious ways to reinvigorate their brands in a post-COVID landscape. Let’s look at those Italian restaurant chains that are going to be even more prominent in the years to come.
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Olive Garden
Olive Garden restaurant exterior – Jetcityimage/Getty Images
We bet you didn’t think that Olive Garden was struggling, huh? It seems wild to think that arguably the most prominent Italian restaurant chain of them all has failed in any capacity, considering that it’s absolutely everywhere. Well, it’s true: Olive Garden hasn’t had the easiest run of things. In particular, in 2014 it was having a rocky time, with its sales slipping significantly. It wasn’t just the individual restaurant that was hard hit, either, with its parent company Darden Restaurants seeing a huge contraction in its revenue and its stock price. Then COVID hit, and Olive Garden was hit once more with a huge drop in its earnings.
It was a tricky time for the Italian restaurant, which may no longer be America’s favorite dining chain. However, just because people don’t love it as much as they once did, doesn’t mean that it won’t be winning their affections once more in the years to come. Somewhat impossibly, Olive Garden is set to get even bigger in the next few years, with approximately 20 new restaurants set to open in the coming 12 months. This is off the back of an incredibly successful fiscal 2025, which saw its sales nudge up even further than before.
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant exterior – Jhvephoto/Getty Images
People have been turning away from Maggiano’s for a little while now. The Italian restaurant chain has been a mainstay in the United States since it first threw open its doors in 1991, with the idea being that it would offer an upscale dining experience at a price most people could afford. Somewhere down the line, though, this stopped gelling with customers, and in the first few years of the 2020s it’s seen significantly lower footfall. Its sales haven’t taken a hit, but that’s largely due to the fact that its prices have been rising, and customer retention just hasn’t been looking too good.
However, everything’s about to change for the brand. Owners Brinker International are waging a full-on reboot of the restaurant chain in a bid to get people through its doors once more. Maggiano’s is now offering a completely revamped menu with a new management team, which has also streamlined its kitchen operations and got rid of unnecessary deals and offers. Brinker International followed the same steps with its other brand Chili’s, which subsequently saw a flood of new people visiting its branches and a renewed vigor for the restaurant. Don’t be surprised your local Maggiano’s feels like it has a shiny new glow sometime soon.
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Carrabba’s Italian Grill restaurant exterior – Del Harper/Shutterstock
Carrabba’s Italian Grill had a pretty bad run of it back in 2020. As with virtually every other restaurant in the country, the Italian chain was hit hard by COVID-19 — and while you’d expect a business as big as this to weather the storm, it still flailed. Carrabba’s 2021 sales were down by 19% year on year. Sadly, it also began shedding units, with branches closing their doors with no plans to reopen.
The post-COVID years were still a little tough for Carrabba’s Italian Grill, but in the last few years there’s been a major turnaround. Carrabba’s emerged as the star of Bloomin’ Brands’ portfolio, thanks to the sudden influx of interest in its takeout, delivery, and catering options. This led to the company throwing its weight behind Carrabba’s like never before and focusing on its growth. Cut to the last 12 months and the chain has been seeing increased sales, and it’s poised to become even bigger in the coming years.
Fazoli’s
Fazoli’s restaurant exterior – Jetcityimage/Getty Images
There was a time when Fazoli’s was in a really rough place, and that time was 2008. The chain had been founded 20 years before and had managed to establish hundreds of units across the United States, but dwindling footfall and lower sales led to its restaurants becoming neglected and almost derelict. The Italian restaurant business shed dozens of stores in just two years, and a new CEO, Carl Howard, was bought in with the express intention to stop it from disappearing completely.
Well, it seems like Howard managed it — and in 2025, Fazoli’s is looking like it’s about to enter a new phase of domination. Howard initiated a years-long reinvigoration of the brand, revamping its restaurants, its menu, and its ordering options. When Howard retired in 2022 to focus on his health, he left the chain in a healthy state and with a string of new restaurants lined up to open. In 2024 one of its biggest ventures was announced: A development deal to open 25 Fazoli’s restaurants across Canada, with the first to start operating in 2025 and the rest to open over the coming decade. Fazoli’s isn’t just going down without a fight — it’s about to take over the world.
Buca Di Beppo
Buca di Beppo restaurant exterior – George Sheldon/Shutterstock
The history of Buca di Beppo is surprising to say the least, but what’s perhaps more surprising is how much of a nosedive it’s taken recently. The last few years for the Italian restaurant chain have been difficult, and last year it even looked as though it was about to go under. In August 2024 Buca di Beppo filed for bankruptcy, an action that was the culmination of years of difficulties. Buca di Beppo never quite managed to get its foothold back after the COVID-19 pandemic, and between 2020 and 2024 it saw 30 restaurants close, almost half of its portfolio. Its profits, as you might expect, plummeted during this period.
Buca di Beppo’s bankruptcy claim was filed in the hope that it would find a buyer, and luckily it did just that: Main Street Capital stepped in and snapped up the business for $27 million. This proved to be a real blessing for the chain, and the last few months have seen a significant reversal of its fortunes. Main Street Capital gave the brand a huge injection of cash, with the investment expressly intended to reinvigorate the chain and set it up to grow even more in the long-term. It may be early days, but we think that Buca di Beppo is going to be looking pretty healthy in a couple years time.
The Old Spaghetti Factory
The Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant entrance – M Outdoors/Shutterstock
The Old Spaghetti Factory has been serving piles of noodles since 1969, and making a roaring trade doing so — but a few years ago it seemed like it was curtains for the company. The Oregon-based Italian restaurant chain faced a barrage of issues towards the end of the 2010s, with some of its iconic locations closing after operating for decades due to landlord disputes. Sadly, too, the chain’s business operations in Nashville were also seriously dented by a downtown bombing incident that occurred on Christmas Day in 2020. The Old Spaghetti Factory’s Nashville restaurant was destroyed by the bomb, and while no-one was injured, the company faced a steep uphill climb to get it back on track.
This collection of incidents, coupled with the hanging specter of COVID-19 and all its disruption, meant that nobody would have been shocked if The Old Spaghetti Factory ended up shutting its doors for good. Cut to 2025, though, and it looks like the restaurant has never been better. The business has been opening new units, with one in Medford adding to its Oregon portfolio. Its nationwide footprint may not be as big as other chains just yet, but this is a restaurant that clearly still wants to make an impact.
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Romano’s Macaroni Grill restaurant exterior – Retail Photographer/Shutterstock
In the 2010s, Romano’s Macaroni Grill faced a pretty spectacular downfall. The chain had managed to keep ticking along since opening in 1988, with restauranteur Phil Romano (who also created Fuddruckers) pleasing his customers with the outfit’s selection of classic dishes. In 2013, though, things started to go downhill. An acquisition by Ignite Restaurant Group proved to be seriously costly, and the corporation struggled to recoup its losses on the purchases. While it took a long-term view on things, pretty soon it went from bad to worse. Romano’s Macaroni Grill’s unit number plummeted, Ignite Restaurant Group’s operations nearly went up in smoke, and the business filed for bankruptcy. What was once a humble neighborhood restaurant turned into a big problem.
You’d think that all of this might spell the end for Romano’s Macaroni Grill, but amazingly it’s managed to survive — and it’s also begun to thrive again. April 2025 saw the signing of a worldwide licensing agent agreement between Romano’s and Surge Brands, with the latter opening up a wealth of opportunities for the restaurant to push into new markets. Think frozen meals, kitchenware, and meal kits, all with the Romano’s stamp and all bringing in bags of money for the company. This, in turn, may well result in new restaurants opening up and the business getting back to its former glory.
Bertucci’s
Bertucci’s restaurant exterior – Yingna Cai/Shutterstock
It’s not unusual for an American business to go bankrupt, but it is fairly unusual for one to go bankrupt as many times and as frequently as Bertucci’s. Although the Italian chain has been around for 44 years, the last seven of those have seen it filing for bankruptcy three times and losing three quarters of its unit count. It’s far from alone in facing all of this trouble, of course, particularly given the economic pressures of the first half of this decade. However, it’s undeniable that it’s had it harder than most, and that drastic action was needed if it was going to survive.
Well, luckily, that action arrived in the form of a complete rethink of its business model. Owner Robert Earl realized that the Boston-based chain needed a change, and he duly unveiled Bertucci’s Pronto, its fast-casual concept which opened its first branch in April 2025. Bertucci’s Pronto incorporated breakfast items into its menu for the first time ever, giving long-time customers a hint of novelty — but it also stuck to what it knows best: Pizza. This was a big swing for the company, but in an ever-changing world businesses need to adapt or die, and we anticipate that this move will see Bertucci’s sticking around for a while to come.
Brio Italian Grille
Brio Italian Grille restaurant exterior – Eric Glenn/Shutterstock
In 2020, it looked like it was all over for Brio Italian Grille. The chain (whose menu is inspired by Tuscan foods and which operates in conjunction with sister brand Bravo! Italian Kitchen) had one of the rockiest 2020’s of them all, with the pandemic seemingly ushering in the end of the line for the restaurant. In April 2020, mere weeks after lockdown restrictions hit the country, FoodFirst Global Restaurants, the company that operated Brio and Bravo!, filed for bankruptcy. The company stated that it was on the brink of a recapitalization, but the pandemic put a stop to it and reinforced the struggles it had been going through prior to that world-changing moment.
71 Brio and Bravo! Restaurants were closed in quick succession, and it seemed unlikely that Brio would survive. However, survive it certainly did. Somehow the brand clung on, and in 2025 it appointed a new CEO, Craig Miller, who had previously led Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Uno Restaurants. Miller placed an immediate emphasis on growth for Brio and Bravo!, and things seem pretty optimistic in the camps for both restaurants. The appointment came hot on the tail of the sister brands launching a new meal deal for $25 in a bid to drive traffic. There’s clearly some serious rebuilding going on.
Marco’s Pizza
Marco’s Pizza store exterior – mailcaroline/Shutterstock
It’s kinda wild how often pizza restaurants file for bankruptcy given how popular the dish is. However, it’s a crowded market out there, and even heavy hitters can struggle. Take Marco’s Pizza, for instance. This rapidly growing pizza franchise may be everywhere at the moment with people loving its menu, but at the start of this year things were looking terrible for it. Several major Marco’s Pizza franchisees were forced to file for bankruptcy, citing struggling performance. These bankruptcy claims came hot on the heels of several other Marco’s Pizza stores closing up shop in Illinois and Michigan.
It was pretty clear that all was not well in the world of Marco’s Pizza, but it seems that the second half of the year has been much kinder to the brand. The restaurant chain has its eyes on a significant expansion throughout the rest of 2025 and expansion into international markets. It’s also announced new store openings and flashy new partnerships, working with Mike’s Hot Honey to create a host of summer menu items. This pizza chain may have been flailing just six months ago, but it’s back stronger than ever.
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