The last remaining Romano’s Macaroni Grill in the DMV is now expected to be replaced by Lazy Dog, according to a BizJournals report. Macaroni Grill, located at 5925 Kingstowne Towne Center in Fairfax County, is still operating and a closing date is unknown.
According to the report, the California-based and Rocky Mountains-inspired chain, Lazy Dog, has filed plans to raze and replace the existing Macaroni Grill restaurant in the Kingstowne Towne Center with a new 7,790 SF restaurant with outdoor patio. A location that was previously located in Gaithersburg, MD was razed and replaced by YardHouse in 2018. Romano’s Macaroni Grill will continue to operate in Fairfax County with a closing date unknown. The lease expires in July of 2024.
Macaroni Grill was founded in the San Antonio area of Texas in 1988 and was up to over 200 restaurants by 2007. Then-owner Brinker International sold 80% of to Golden Gate Capital for $88 million in 2011. The two groups combined then sold the entire chain to the Ignite Restaurant Group, which consisted of 210 restaurants, for $55 million in 2013. RedRock Partners bought the chain two years later, in 2015, for just $8 million for 168 restaurants. The company’s decline continued and as of November 2023, the company operates 33 locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.