[Updated - additional date] Heads up - free spaghetti & meatballs at Romano's Macaroni Grill on 2/22/23

[tvguy]

What is Romano's Macaroni Grill? Is it like Olive Garden but better? What a surprise that Romano's Macaroni Grill is giving free spaghetti and meatballs on September 17th because this is a smart idea for them to do. I don't have any Romano's Macaroni Grills in my town but they sound like a nice place to eat

I was able to look it up. The Macaroni Grill nearest me closed in 2008. It was only open 6 years. Someone must have lost a lot of money because not only did it close after only 6 years, they tore down the 6 year old building.

 

[bcla]

It's chain Italian food. It's okay. They filed for bankruptcy in 2017. They closed 37 of their 144 locations, so apparently customers weren't coming. I have 3 mom and pop Italian restaurants within 3 miles of my house so I prefer those. Trying to remember when the closest Macaroni Grill closed here, has to be at least 10 years because my mom was with us the last time we went, and she passed away in 2013.

The only locations I can find that closed in the Sacramento area were one across the street from Arden Fair Mall (now an In-N-Out at the site) and Folsom. This mentions it was open for about 6 years but doesn't say when it closed (but the article was from 2011).

https://www.bizjournals.com/sacrame...011/06/in-n-out-to-build-at-old-macaroni.html

 

[tvguy]

The only locations I can find that closed in the Sacramento area were one across the street from Arden Fair Mall (now an In-N-Out at the site) and Folsom. This mentions it was open for about 6 years but doesn't say when it closed (but the article was from 2011).

https://www.bizjournals.com/sacrame...011/06/in-n-out-to-build-at-old-macaroni.html

7th paragraph.

"Romano’s Macaroni Grill opened in 2002. The company-owned location at Alta Arden closed suddenly in the summer of 2008."

 

[bcla]

What is Romano's Macaroni Grill? Is it like Olive Garden but better? What a surprise that Romano's Macaroni Grill is giving free spaghetti and meatballs on September 17th because this is a smart idea for them to do. I don't have any Romano's Macaroni Grills in my town but they sound like a nice place to eat

It's got an Olive Garden vibe, but (other than the corny name) it's going for more of an upscale feel with white tablecloths under the butcher paper. Olive Garden is trying for more of an Italian-American feel while Romano's purports to be more authentic. Olive Garden also isn't trying to look expensive.

It was owned by Brinker International (Maggiano's Little Italy, Chili's, On the Border) for a long time before being sold off where it went through a few different restaurant/investment groups.

 

[bcla]

I’m at Romano’s now. All the nearby parking was occupied and it’s obviously really busy. It seems like a lot of people made reservations but those without reservations might need to wait. It’s definitely pretty packed, and the front of the house employees are mentioning the free spaghetti.

Addendum - I just got seated and as I walked by pretty much every customer has the same thing. Surprise, surprise.

 

[bcla]

So it was only the standard meatballs and spaghetti with pomodorina sauce (not Bolognese) that was complimentary. I saw a few tables where the freebie was all that was ordered, but maybe also the complimentary peasant bread. I thought that I should probably order an appetizer and an alcoholic beverage.

I did see that the staff was extremely overworked. However, it seems that they were just cranking out the meatballs and spaghetti as fast as they could. Our server saw I left a cash tip and seemed really appreciative. It looked like quite a few came in, got their free meals, and left without tipping their servers. Strangely enough, I saw a few tables where the complimentary special wasn’t ordered. Don’t know if those customers know about the free deal or not. I saw one customer at the front of the house showing a printed copy of the deal.

They probably called in as many workers as they could. I’ve been there several times in the past year and some days they were lucky to have a manager (doubling as front of the house), a single server, and a bartender working.

 

[bcla]

Here's another special. Not quite as good, but it's dine in only, pay for a Dr Pepper (and only that), and get a sandwich and fries for free. The sandwich was $17 at my location and I don't think I'd ever pay that much for it. However, it was reasonably priced after the discount, where I also left a tip based on full price.

This image doesn't show everything that was in the email that I got, but I suppose one can ask about it. I pasted the text that was attached. They might need an actual email though.

Offer valid through Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at participating locations. To redeem, please present this email to your server and enjoy a Buffalo Chicken Parmesan sandwich free with the purchase of a Dr Pepper. Dine in only. Valid on Buffalo Chicken Parmesan sandwich only. Not valid with any other offers or discounts. Taxes and gratuities not included.

 

[bcla]

They're doing it again.

 

[georgina]

Weird they chose Ash Wednesday to do it.

 

[bcla]

So I did do this and I was alone. Immediate family (we did this together last August) is out of town and my parents declined. I showed up before my reservation but waited about 25 minutes for a table. I didn’t want to be super cheap, so I ordered a beer and a side. I was kind of surprised by the side because it was as much as I got previously as an appetizer. No beer on tap any more, I guess because they don’t typically have as many customers as they used to.

I didn’t specify what kind I wanted and I got Bolognese. Another server actually asked the customers next to me. The freebie wasn’t even listed on the receipt. Last time it was and factored into the recommended tip (based on regular price) listed on the receipt.