Carrabba's Italian Grill

What Carrabba's Italian Grill does

Carrabba's Italian Grill is a U.S. full-service casual dining restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine with a wood-burning grill cooking tradition. The brand was founded in December 1986 in Houston, Texas by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola, and operates today as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLMN), headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Carrabba's serves mainstream American diners across families, date-night, corporate catering, and experiential segments, with an average restaurant footprint of 6,300 square feet and 230 seats.

The company's core product is dine-in restaurant service built around proprietary family recipes (Chicken Bryan, Pollo Rosa Maria, Marsala) cooked on signature wood-burning grills, complemented by made-from-scratch pasta sauces and traditional Italian dishes. The underlying technology stack includes an iOS/Android mobile application for ordering and loyalty, an online ordering storefront, Carside Carry-Out service, a catering platform (Perfect Bundles, Party Pans, Bistro Sandwiches, individually packed meals), a corporate bulk gift card system, and the cross-brand Dine Rewards loyalty platform shared with Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse. Experiential marketing is delivered through monthly ticketed wine ($60 per person) and cocktail ($65 per person) pairing dinners.

Carrabba's generates revenue through transaction-fee unit pricing across six streams: dine-in restaurant sales, online ordering (pickup/select delivery), catering (minimum $100 order), gift cards (corporate bulk discount of 10% at $1,000+), special ticketed events, and the recurring $10 Take Home dine-in promotion. The brand serves four primary customer segments — General Consumer/Families, Corporate/Business Catering, Families with Children (Bambini Menu), and Experiential Diners (Kitchen Counter, Family Table) — plus a Health-Conscious/Gluten-Free segment. Operations are exclusively domestic (United States), with specific exclusions at the original Kirby/Voss Houston locations and airport venues.

Name

Carrabba's Italian Grill

Legal name

Carrabba's Italian Grill, LLC

Website

https://carrabbas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Carrabba's Italian Grill is a U.S. full-service casual dining chain serving families, date-night diners, and corporate catering customers with wood-grilled Italian-American cuisine. Operated by Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ: BLMN) across national restaurant locations, mobile ordering, catering, and a cross-brand Dine Rewards loyalty program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Italian Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurants
• Italian cuisine dining
• Wood-fired grilling
• Restaurant catering services
• Loyalty rewards program

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-In Restaurant Sales: Full-service dine-in restaurant revenue from appetizers, entrees, desserts, and beverages including cocktails, wine, and beer. Average restaurant seats 230 guests.
2. Online Ordering (Pickup/Delivery): Direct online ordering through website and mobile app for customer pickup. Delivery available from select locations.
3. Catering Services: Corporate and event catering with party pans, perfect bundles, bistro sandwiches, and individually packed meals. Minimum $100 order for catering.
4. Gift Card Sales: E-gift cards and physical gift cards sold online. Corporate bulk purchases available with 10% discount on orders of $1,000+.
5. Special Events (Wine/Cocktail Dinners): Ticketed multi-course wine and cocktail pairing dinners at $60-$65 per person, hosted monthly at restaurant locations.
6. $10 Take Home Promotion: Dine-in promotion where guests who purchase an entree can take home another entree of equal or lesser value for $10, driving repeat visits and perceived value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Carrabba's Italian Grill is a U.S. casual dining restaurant chain serving authentic Italian-American cuisine featuring signature wood-burning grill dishes (Chicken Bryan, Pollo Rosa Maria, Marsala), made-from-scratch pastas, and family recipes traced to founders' mothers. The chain operates dine-in restaurants averaging 6,300 square feet and seating 230 guests, complemented by Carside Carry-Out, online ordering, a mobile app, catering services for events of 10-100+ guests, gift cards, and the cross-brand Dine Rewards loyalty program.

Product overview

Carrabba's Italian Grill is a restaurant chain offering a unified dining experience centered on Italian cuisine with wood-burning grill specialties. The core product is dine-in restaurant service featuring signature dishes like Chicken Bryan, Pollo Rosa Maria, and Marsala, complemented by catering services, a mobile app for ordering and Dine Rewards loyalty, Happy Hour and Wine Dinner events, gift cards, and Carside Carry-Out takeout service. The company operates under parent company Bloomin' Brands alongside Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Amici Club: Loyalty rewards program where members earn points for dining, receive exclusive offers, and get first access to events such as Wine Tastings, Proprietor Dinners and Cooking Demonstrations.

Products and services

• Dine-In Restaurant Service Full-service Italian dining experience featuring wood-burning grill specialties (Chicken Bryan, Pollo Rosa Maria, Marsala), signature pastas with sauces made from scratch daily, and traditional Italian dishes in a warm, welcoming atmosphere with unique seating options including the Family Table and Kitchen Counter (which provides a view into the kitchen). Average restaurant size is 6,300 square feet with seating for approximately 230 guests.
• Catering Services Full-service catering for business events, weddings, and social gatherings serving 10-100+ guests, with menu options including Perfect Bundles (serves 10 with side, side salad, dessert, and focaccia bread), Party Pans (Chicken Parmesan, Lasagne, Chicken Bryan), Bistro Sandwich Bundles (feeds 5-10), and individually packed entrées and boxed lunches. Minimum $100 order for food and non-alcoholic beverages.
• Wine and Cocktail Pairing Dinner Events Ticketed four-course wine and cocktail pairing dinner events held monthly at restaurant locations. Wine dinners are priced at $60 per person and feature wines from regions such as New Zealand, Provence, Tuscany, and California. Cocktail dinners are priced at $65 per person (excludes tax and gratuity) and feature seasonal ingredients paired with handcrafted cocktails. Examples include the "Sip Around the World" wine dinner and the "La Dolce Vita" summer cocktail dinner.
• Gift Cards E-gift cards and physical gift cards sold online, redeemable at Carrabba's Italian Grill locations. Corporate bulk purchases of $1,000 or more receive a 10% discount and are available in plastic or electronic format. Balance checking and reload are available.
• Dine Rewards Loyalty Program Free points-based loyalty program where members earn 5 points per qualified dollar spent on food and non-alcoholic beverages. Points convert to $5 rewards automatically at 350 points. Points expire after 6 months; rewards are valid for 90 days. Members receive a complimentary appetizer for new signups and earn across Bloomin' Brands concepts including Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse.
• Carrabba's Mobile App Dedicated mobile application for iOS and Android devices enabling online ordering, Dine Rewards membership management, event RSVP, and complimentary appetizer signup. Available on the Apple App Store (id1085789110) and Google Play Store.
• Carside Carry-Out Curbside pickup service allowing customers to remain in their vehicles while their takeout order is delivered to them, providing a convenient alternative to in-restaurant dining and standard carry-out.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average restaurant capacity of 230 guests with 6,300 square feet
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Outback Steakhouse (OSI Restaurant Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993In 1993, Carrabba's founders formed a joint venture partnership with Outback Steakhouse, Inc. This led to opening 10 locations in Houston and Florida. In January 1995, OSI acquired the rights to develop Carrabba's nationally, making it part of the Bloomin' Brands portfolio alongside Outback, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Olive Garden: Largest US Italian-casual dining chain (~1,000+ units) operated by Darden Restaurants. Directly competes with Carrabba's for family-style Italian dining occasions and share-of-stomach; Olive Garden's scale sets the competitive baseline for pricing, menu, and digital benchmarks in the Italian casual segment.
• Uno Pizzeria & Grill: Casual Italian-American restaurant chain specializing in deep-dish pizza and Italian entrees. Comparable on Italian-cuisine casual dining, family-friendly atmosphere, dine-in and takeout services, and similar per-visit price points.
• California Pizza Kitchen: Casual-dining chain with broad Italian-American-adjacent menu positioning. Comparable on dine-in casual format, menu breadth, and lunch/dinner daypart offering; competes for similar middle-income family dining occasions.
• Buca di Beppo: Family-style Italian restaurant chain known for large-portion, group/event dining. Closely comparable to Carrabba's on Italian cuisine, family-style service, catering-style group occasions, and price point positioning.
• Romano's Macaroni Grill: Casual Italian dining chain under Inspire Brands. Comparable cuisine category, dine-in format, and menu structure; competes for similar family and group-occasion traffic as Carrabba's.
• Maggiano's Little Italy: Full-service Italian restaurant brand owned by Brinker International. Comparable in cuisine, dining format, and event/private dining use cases; smaller scale but directly competitive in Italian family-style dining and catering.
• BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse: Casual-dining chain combining food menu (including Italian-pizza items) with craft beer. Comparable on full-service casual format, family-occasion dining, catering, and value-driven promotions similar to Carrabba's $10 Take Home.

Broad incumbents

• Bonefish Grill: Sister brand under Bloomin' Brands operating casual-dining seafood. Not an Italian direct competitor, but operates from the same parent corporate infrastructure, shares the Dine Rewards cross-brand loyalty platform, and competes for casual-dining occasions within the same consumer wallet.
• The Cheesecake Factory: Iconic US casual-dining chain with very large menus including Italian-leaning items. Comparable dine-in format, experiential dining positioning (Kitchen Counter echoes Cheesecake Factory's experiential seating), and family/group occasion use cases.
• Outback Steakhouse: Founder sister brand and largest concept under Bloomin' Brands. Comparable full-service casual-dining format, share customer base via Dine Rewards, and shares corporate back-office, technology, and supply-chain infrastructure with Carrabba's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Carrabbas
• Instagraminstagram.com/carrabbas
• TikToktiktok.com/@carrabbas_official
• Xx.com/carrabbas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carrabba's Italian Grill