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Carrabba's Italian Grill (or simply Carrabba's) is an American restaurant chain featuring Italian-American cuisine. It is owned and operated by Bloomin' Brands, and headquartered in Tampa, Florida.


History

The chain was founded on December 26, 1986, by John Charles "Johnny" Carrabba III and his uncle Damian Mandola. Together, they opened the first restaurant on Kirby Drive in
Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. A second location was opened soon after at the intersection of Woodway and Voss Road. After a considerable enlargement of the restaurant, it was renamed "Rosie Carrabba's" in honor of Damian's sister Rose. Johnny Carrabba and his family are still the proprietors of both original locations. In January 1993, under a joint venture with Outback Steakhouse, Inc. (the predecessor to Bloomin' Brands), 10 new Carrabba's locations were opened in Houston and Florida. Two years later, OSI acquired the rights to develop the Carrabba's chain nationwide. In 2008, OSI teamed up with HMSHost to open the first airport location in Tampa International Airport. As of 2013, there were more Carrabba's restaurants in Florida—home to parent company Bloomin' Brands' corporate headquarters—than any other state in the United States. In 2015, the first Carrabba's international location opened in Brazil, rebranded as "Abbraccio" In 2020, Carrabba's expanded into Canada, opening a location in
Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...
, New Brunswick. In 2021 Bloomin Brands bought out the founders of Carrabba’s Italian Grill in a royalty termination agreement. As part of the agreement the founders kept their original two locations in Houston.


Menu

Many of the recipes for the dishes on Carrabba's menu are those of Damian's mother, Grace, and his sister, Rose. These recipes were featured on the PBS cooking show ''Cucina Sicilia'', which is hosted by Carrabba and Mandola. Chicken Bryan, one of Carrabba's Italian Grill's dishes, features an 8 oz grilled chicken breast, topped with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and a basil lemon-butter sauce. The dish is named after the city of
Bryan Bryan may refer to: Places United States * Bryan, Arkansas * Bryan, Kentucky * Bryan, Ohio * Bryan, Texas * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town in Sweetwater County in the U.S. state of Wyoming * Bryan Township (disambiguation) Facilities and structur ...
(Texas), where the Carrabba family settled.


References


Further reading

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External links

*
Bloomin' Brands website
{{Authority control Companies based in Tampa, Florida Italian-American cuisine Italian restaurants Restaurants established in 1986 Restaurant chains in the United States 1986 establishments in Texas Bloomin' Brands American companies established in 1986