38-year-old Italian chain down to 9 locations nationwide

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Italian nutrient has go a ascendant cuisine successful U.S. culture.

"Today, retired of 800,000 restaurants successful the U.S., astir 100,000 service Italian food. But portion the bulk are pizzerias and casual restaurants, there’s besides a important constituent of good eating restaurants," Krishnendu Ray, manager of NYU’s Food Studies programme and writer of "The Ethnic Restaurateur," told National Geographic.

Meanwhile, determination are astir 40,000 each of Chinese and Mexican restaurants, with acold less good eating options among them.

Americans devour a batch of Italian food, according to information from the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

"Sixty-one percent of the 1,000 radical surveyed by the NRA said they devour Italian nutrient astatine slightest erstwhile a month, and 26% said they devour it a fewer times a year. By comparison, the different 2 of the 'big three' taste cuisines successful the United States, Mexican and Chinese, were eaten astatine slightest erstwhile a period by 50% and 36% of those surveyed, respectively, and a fewer times a twelvemonth by 31% and 42% of respondents, respectively," the NRA shared.

Despite the request for Italian food, a once-thriving chain, Romano's Macaroni Grill, has closed much than 85% of its restaurants, leaving the concatenation with lone 9 remaining locations.

Macaroni Grill was meant to beryllium an Olive Garden rival

Romano's Macaroni Grill suffered a dilatory decline.

The concatenation began with a beardown pedigree, having been founded successful San Antonio successful 1988 by restaurateur Phil Romano, the creator of Fuddruckers. It was acquired by Chili’s proprietor Brinker International the pursuing year.

"Positioned arsenic an Olive Garden competitor, Romano’s served modular Italian fare and leaned into its Italian theme: It staffed opera singers and played Italian connection lessons successful its restrooms," Restaurant Business reported.

The concatenation grew rapidly nether Brinker, peaking astatine 237 locations successful 2006, astir of them company-owned, according to information from Restaurant Business sister institution Technomic.

Brinker sold the concatenation to private-equity steadfast Golden Gate Capital successful 2008 for $131.5 million, a terms that was aboriginal adjusted to $88 cardinal aft the system crashed.

At its peak, Macaroni Grill built a beardown concern astir its "make-your-own-pasta" offering.

Customers were handed a expanse offering a fig of choices, and they could cheque disconnected boxes to make their ain customized pasta dish. That offering was paired with caller bread, and tables were topped with a dense achromatic insubstantial connected which servers wrote their names.