Romano’s Macaroni Grill, a specialist in pasta and pizza, hosted a social event at its branch on Tahlia Street in Jeddah.

Ghassan Ahmed Y. Dennou, marketing manager of Tarfeeh chain of restaurants, told Arab News that the first branch of Macaroni Grill in Saudi Arabia was launched at Riyadh in December 2014. It opened its third branch in Jeddah in December 2015.

He said: “The Italian restaurant chain in the Kingdom is successful due to its authenticity and uniqueness. With a charming Italian interior, great service, and delicious authentic Italian dishes, Romano’s Macaroni Grill has become popular.”

Waleed bin Mahfouz, chairman of Tarfeeh, said: “Tarfeeh, the franchisee of Macaroni Grill, also operates other famous restaurant chains like Applebee’s, China Gate and Ocean Basket in Saudi Arabia. Tarfeeh has witnessed tremendous growth over the past few years, and continues to scale new heights.

It was a humble beginning for Tarfeeh with only one restaurant chain but presently there are four highly successful restaurant brands out of which three are major international chains and one domestic chain with a total of 28 restaurants under its dynamic portfolio across all regions of Saudi Arabia.

Founded in 1988 and based in Houston, Texas, Macaroni Grill has 200 restaurants across nine countries, and the growing chain now has three branches in Saudi Arabia — two in Riyadh and one in Jeddah. They are also located in Egypt, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain. The chain is looking to expand its franchise across the country and the Middle East.

With Ramadan around the corner, Macaroni Grill is preparing to make special offers for the holy month with special dishes and ambience.

Dennoui said Macaroni Grill will be launching its new home delivery service, “which will bring the taste of Italy right to your doorstep.”