Italian food has become a dominant cuisine in American culture.
“Today, of the 800,000 restaurants in the United States, about 100,000 serve Italian food. But while the majority are pizzerias and casual restaurants, there is also a significant component of fine dining restaurants,” Krishnendu Ray, director of the Food Studies program at New York University and author of “The Ethnic Restaurateur,” told National Geographic.
Meanwhile, there are around 40,000 Chinese and Mexican restaurants, and among them there are far fewer options for fine dining.
Americans eat a lot of Italian food, according to data from the National Restaurant Association (NRA).
“Sixty-one percent of the 1,000 people surveyed by the NRA said they eat Italian food at least once a month, and 26% said they eat it several times a year. By comparison, the other two of America’s ‘big three’ ethnic cuisines, Mexican and Chinese, were eaten at least once a month by 50% and 36% of respondents, respectively, and a few times a year by 31% and 42% of respondents respectively,” the NRA shared.
Despite the demand for Italian food, a once-thriving chain, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, has closed more than 85% of its restaurants, leaving the chain with only nine locations remaining.
Macaroni Grill was intended to be an Olive Garden rival
Romano’s Macaroni Grill suffered a slow decline.
The chain started out with a strong pedigree, having been founded in San Antonio in 1988 by restaurateur Phil Romano, the creator of Fuddruckers. It was 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 featured opera singers and played Italian lessons in its bathrooms,” Restaurant Business reported.
The chain grew rapidly under Brinker, peaking at 237 locations in 2006, most of them company-owned, according to data from Restaurant Business’ sister company Technomic.
Brinker sold the chain to private equity firm Golden Gate Capital in 2008 for $131.5 million, a price that was later adjusted to $88 million after the economy collapsed.
In its heyday, Macaroni Grill built a solid business around its “make your own pasta” offering.
Customers were given a sheet offering several options and could check boxes to create their own personalized pasta dish. This offering was accompanied by fresh bread and the tables were covered with heavy white paper on which the waiters wrote their names.
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What went wrong with Romano’s Macaroni Grill?
While Romano’s Macaroni Grill has struggled, rival Olive Garden has thrived with a simple playbook.
“Olive Garden has simplified its restaurants and promotional calendar. It has used fewer discounts, relying on ‘everyday value’ marketing and emphasizing lunch to improve sales that way,” according to Restaurant Business.
The chain also made a subtle but important operational change.
“It has also focused more on its takeout business, which has grown considerably in recent years. Takeout now accounts for nearly 14% of Olive Garden’s sales. Few casual restaurants can boast such levels,” the industry website shared.
Romano’s Macaroni Grill filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017, immediately closing 37 locations.
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At the time, it was owned by Arizona-based RedRock Partners LLC, which acquired the chain from Ignite Restaurant Group Inc. in 2015 for $8 million.
In its filing, Macaroni Grill cited a decline in sales and an increase in labor and commodity costs, which hurt profits, Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
Nishant Machado, the company’s interim CEO at the time of the filing, attributed the chain’s problems to “a general slowdown in the casual dining industry,” including customers’ preference for “cheaper, faster alternatives.”
Macaroni Grill only has a few locations left.Shutterstock
Romano’s Macaroni Grill survived, but still struggled
While Romano’s Macaroni Grill survived its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it has been in steady decline since the filing.
“The pandemic was devastating for Romano’s. It closed half of its locations in 2020, bringing its footprint to 43 restaurants. And unlike other casual dining chains, it didn’t enjoy a post-COVID rebound,” Restaurant Business reported in December 2025.
Sales have declined each year since then as it continued to close locations.
In 2024, the chain dropped from Technomic’s ranking of the 500 largest restaurant chains in the United States by sales.
Macaroni Grill’s problems, however, are not a commentary on the health of restaurants more broadly.
“The restaurant industry is notoriously competitive,” Sara Senatore, a Bank of America analyst who specializes in restaurants, told Investopedia. “And in the current environment, what we’re seeing is a return to intense competition.”
Restaurant Business editor-in-chief Jonathan Maze said the chain’s decline has been the result of management decisions, not economics.
“The story of Mac Grill is, in many ways, the story of the decline of casual dining. For years, the Italian chain had been a popular concept, a kind of next-generation Olive Garden,” he wrote in a column in NRN.
The network’s struggles, he noted, have been consistent no matter who has been in charge.
“Mac Grill’s problems have been ongoing, dating back a decade and affecting multiple owners and CEOs,” he added.
Macaroni Grill, however, has not given up. The company has added a quick-service concept, Twisted Mac, and continues to sell franchises.
“Whether you’re looking for the prestige of a heritage national brand or the high growth potential of a modern QSR, our portfolio offers two distinct ways to bring authentic Italian hospitality to your market. Both brands are driven by the same commitment to quality, generosity and the Guest First philosophy,” the company shared on its website.
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This story was originally published by TheStreet on May 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Restaurants section. Add TheStreet as a preferred source by clicking here.
