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Romano's Macaroni Grill
	A Romano's Macaroni Grill in Anaheim Hills, CA in March 2010 (closed by early 2020).
Company type	Wholly owned subsidiary
Industry	Restaurant
Genre	Casual dining
Founded	April 19, 1988; 36 years ago in Leon Springs, Texas
Founder	Philip J. Romano
Headquarters	Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Key people	Jason Kemp (Current President & CEO);
Products	Italian-American cuisine; (pasta; pizza; chicken; seafood; salad); ;
Number of employees	7,001 As of 2023
Parent	Brinker International; (1989–2008); Mac Acquisition LLC; (2008–2013); Ignite Restaurant Group (2013–2015); Redrock Partners LLC (2015–present)
Website	macaronigrill.com
	Footnotes / references;

Romano's Macaroni Grill is an American casual dining restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. As of April 2024, the company operates 31 locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah, as well as 6 locations in Puerto Rico.

History

Romano's first restaurant was founded by restaurateur Philip J. Romano (who had also founded the hamburger chain Fuddruckers in 1979; he had sold his shares in that company when he founded Romano's^[4]) in Leon Springs, Texas (now a district of San Antonio), on April 19, 1988.^[5]^[6] The location would later be occupied by Burkle's The Grill at Leon Springs, which closed in May of 2021 after a fire.^[7]

Brinker International, Inc. bought the franchise rights to the company on November 22, 1989.^{[citation needed]}^[5]

Brinker announced on August 8, 2007, that it would begin exploring a buyer for the 230 company-owned stores. On December 18, 2008, Brinker announced that a majority stake in the chain was sold to Mac Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of Golden Gate Capital. As of June 29, 2011, Brinker still holds a 15.6% minority interest in the concept.^[8]

On February 6, 2013, Ignite Restaurant Group announced the acquisition of Romano's Macaroni Grill from Golden Gate Capital through a $55.0 million all-cash transaction.^[9] Redrock Partners LLC purchased the concept from Ignite in April 2015 for $8 million.^[10]^[11]

On October 18, 2017, Romano's Macaroni Grill filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.^[12]

On September 21, 2018, Romano's bought Sullivan's Steakhouse for $32 million.^[13]

In July, 2023, Jason Kemp became President and Chief Executive Officer of Romano's Macaroni Grill. Jason Kemp was the former President & CEO & owner of multiple restaurant chains including Furr's Fresh Buffet, Ryan's Steakhouse, Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet, Sushi Zushi, Zio's Italian Kitchen, Tahoe Joe's and more. Jason Kemp has been named in multiple lawsuits alleging serious fraud and theft of money from both his business partners and the federal government.^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]

Products

Romano's Macaroni Grill menu features items found in traditional cuisine from Italy and the Mediterranean area. The menu includes a custom-assembled pasta dish, with a choice of pastas, sauces, and toppings. Meals are served with complimentary bread and olive oil.^[18]

In addition to their restaurants, the brand also features a line of packaged food products based on dishes offered by the restaurant. The packages are manufactured by General Mills Restaurant Favorites line.^[19]

Nutrition

In 2007, Men's Health rated Romano's Macaroni Grill one of the unhealthiest restaurant chains, giving it an 'F' on its "Restaurant Report Card." According to the report, an average meal from the chain contains over 1,000 calories.^[20] Three years later, however, the magazine rated Macaroni Grill as the healthiest Italian chain, noting that a number of entrees had significantly decreased in calorie count. This was attributed to the hiring of a new CEO with a "multiphase plan to improve the nutritional quality."^[21]

Gallery

A Romano's in Burlington, MA in September, 2008 (closed in February 2017, now Eddie V's)
One of many Italian-themed dishes at Romano's

References

^ "Romano's Macaroni Grill Italian Restaurant | Locations". 2020-05-21. Archived from the original on 2020-05-21. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
^ "Romano's Macaroni Grill demographics and statistics". Zippia. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
^ "Information and FAQ". Romano's Macaroni Grill. 2011. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
^ Cuff, Daniel F. (November 9, 1988). "BUSINESS PEOPLE; Founder of Fuddruckers Goes On to Next Course". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2024. Mr. Romano relocated to Texas in 1976 and opened his Fuddruckers a few years later. Now he has sold his stock in Fuddruckers as well and is devoting all his time to his investments and ventures under Romano Enterprises in San Antonio.
^ ^a ^b Salchert, Ryan (April 30, 2019). "Romano's Macaroni Grill founder talks SA past and millennial future". Bizjournals. Retrieved 2022-01-05.(subscription required)
^ "Leon Springs Texas". Texas Hill Country. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
^ Bermea, Steven Cavazos , Azian (2021-05-13). "'If life allows it, we will be back': Owner of long-standing Leon Springs restaurant hopes to serve community again following devastating fire". KSAT. Retrieved 2022-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Brinker International, Inc. (June 29, 2011). "FY 2011 10-K". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
^ Ignite Restaurant Group (March 12, 2013). "Ignite Restaurant Group Acquires Romano's Macaroni Grill". Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
^ Maze, Jonathan (March 11, 2015). "Why Ignite sold Macaroni Grill for so little". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
^ Kezar, Korri (April 20, 2015). "Ignite Restaurant Group sells Romano's Macaroni Grill for $8M". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
^ Stephanie Gleason (October 18, 2017). "Romano's Macaroni Grill Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection". TheStreet.com. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
^ "Romano's Macaroni Grill Buys Sullivan's Steakhouse in $32M Deal". 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
^ "San Antonio-area restaurant operators 'siphoned' millions from business: suit". 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2023.(subscription required)
^ "Suit: Owner's of 2 San Antonio restaurant companies misused millions of dollars in PPP loans". 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.(subscription required)
^ Rocha, Polly Anna (20 December 2023). "Lawsuit claims Sushi Zushi managers misappropriated millions of dollars". MYSA. Hearst Newspapers. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
^ "2015 Sale of Buffalo Wild Wing Restaurants for $160M leads to suit against San Antonio-Area partners". 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2023.(subscription required)
^ "Romano's Macaroni Grill Menu". Romano's Macaroni Grill. 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
^ "General Mills: Macaroni Grill". General Mills Inc. 2012. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
^ Goulding, Matt (November 9, 2007). "Restaurant Report Card". Men's Health. Hearst Digital Media. Retrieved June 13, 2018. Macaroni Grill earns its F with a menu full of 1,500 calorie pastas...Even lunch portions and salads have more than 1,000 calories.
^ Carter, Clint (December 18, 2010). "Restaurant Report Card". Men's Health. Hearst Digital Media. Retrieved March 31, 2019. Macaroni Grill used to be one of the most fattening sit-down chains in America. But things took a sharp turn for the better when the company recruited a new CEO in 2008. What followed was a multiphase plan to improve the nutritional quality of the entrees, and the chain has since become the caloric conscience of the red-sauce restaurants.