Romano's Macaroni Grill, a leading US restaurant brand within the premium Italian casual dining segment, is set to open its first unit in Saudi Arabia in the first half of 2014. Arabian Entertainment Co. Ltd., a well-known and established name in the restaurant industry in Saudi Arabia, has recently signed a master development agreement to develop the brand across all major markets in the Kingdom. The restaurant chain was founded in 1988 and is based in Houston, Texas with additional locations in the US and other countries. Senior executives, Raymond Blanchette, CEO and Ed McGraw, Chief Development Officer, of Ignite Restaurant Group – the holding company of the Macaroni Grill brand – recently visited Saudi Arabia and held meetings with the executive team of Arabian Entertainment Co. and its parent company SEDCO Holding. Blending on 20 years of tradition with innovative Italian cooking, Macaroni Grill provides a rich dining experience matched with an authentic Italian menu. The high quality authentic Italian ingredients showcase the restaurant's heritage, while the open kitchen, brick ovens and festive atmosphere bring energy to every meal. From bronze-cut Italian pastas with seasonal ingredients to grilled steak, seafood, hand stretched pizzas and flatbreads, and decadent desserts, a visit to Macaroni Grill is truly an affordable indulgence. It also offers children's menu. Waleed Bin Mahfouz, Chairman, Arabian Entertainment Co. Ltd. said “I am confident that with the signing of Macaroni Grill in Saudi Arabia, we are looking forward to bringing a whole new dining experience in the premium Italian restaurant category. We will grow the brand successfully and expand in all the important regions in the country. This will also create job opportunities for Saudi youths in this exciting and growing industry. We are very keen on hiring Saudis in the chain and provide them opportunity to build career in hospitality sector.” Macaroni Grill restaurant is confidently expanding its footprint across the Middle East with plans to further expand in the region. Building on the brand key principle of rich dining experience matched with an authentic Italian menu, Macaroni Grill offers diners an authentic affordable Italian casual dining experience. Blanchette and Ed McGraw said “as the economy and in particular the restaurant business continues to grow tremendously in the region, Macaroni Grill sees more expansion opportunities and having a strong partner like Arabian Entertainment Co. is definitely a big advantage for us in Saudi Arabia and we look forward to working with them very closely.” Presently, Macaroni Grill operates more than 200 restaurants across nine countries outside the US, including Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Egypt, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain. Anees Moumina, CEO SEDCO Holding, expressed confidence that both Macaroni Grill and Arabian Entertainment Co. will deliver an outstanding partnership to introduce the new brand in Saudi Arabia and provide an outstanding dining experience in the Italian restaurant segment. Arabian Entertainment Co. Ltd. is also the franchisee of Applebee's chain and China Gate restaurants. — SG
