Romano's Macaroni Grill, a leading US restaurant brand within the Italian casual dining segment, officially opened its third branch in the Kingdom and first in the city of Jeddah on Dec. 27, 2015 in Thaliya Street (opposite Tahliya Mall). The restaurant is already the talk of the town because of its authentic and sumptuous Italian taste and very welcoming atmosphere combined with excellent service. Tarfeeh (a Sedco Holding Company) is the franchisee of Macaroni Grill in Saudi Arabia, and also owns franchises of other famous restaurant chains like Applebee's, Ocean Basket and China Gate in the country. Tarfeeh, with its impressive expansion strategy, has witnessed commendable growth over the past few years, and continues to scale new heights as a dynamic company in Sedco's strong and versatile portfolio of operating companies. Macaroni Grill had already successfully opened two branches in Riyadh and there are more plans for growth in the Kingdom. Macaroni Grill restaurant chain was founded in 1988 and is based in Houston, Texas with additional locations in the United States and other countries. 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 of Tarfeeh, said "I am confident that with the opening of Macaroni Grill in Saudi Arabia, we are looking forward to bringing a whole new dining experience in the 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 a career in the hospitality sector." Macaroni Grill restaurant is confidently expanding its footprint across the Middle East with plans to further expand in the region. Ahmed Marashde, CEO of Tarfeeh, said "as the economy and in particular the restaurant business continues to grow tremendously in Saudi Arabia, Macaroni Grill sees more expansion opportunities and our company will make sure that the brand grows successfully across all major provinces and cities of the country." Presently, Macaroni Grill operates more than 200 restaurants across nine countries outside the United States including, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, Germany, Taiwan, Japan and Middle East (Egypt, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain).
