Kona completes Spageddies name change

Nation's Restaurant News, May 20, 1996

DALLAS -- Kona Restaurant Group, which acquired six Spageddies Italian Kitchen restaurants from Brinker International late last year, has renamed the units Carino's Italian Kitchen, after executive chef Johnny Carino.

The concept remains essentially the same as Spageddies, with oversized "ciao" portions for two or more.

Carino, who became executive chef of the Spageddies concept in January 1995, incorporated into the menu many of the recipes his grandfather brought to America from Sicily. He now serves as director of culinary operations at Kona.

Kona operates three Carino's in Texas and one each in Arizona, Arkansas and Colorado and said it plans to open 12 more in the next two years. The company also operates a steak house called Kona Ranch in Oklahoma.

Mishawaka, Ind.-based Quality Dining Inc. last year acquired the U.S. rights to the Spageddies concept. Kona's units were not part of that transaction.