Dallas, US-based restaurant operator Brinker International has announced plans to open 14 Romano’s Macaroni Grill outlets in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Egypt.

Construction is due to begin in July, with all 14 due to be open by 2009.

The Middle East deal marks the company’s first step towards reaching its goal of quadrupling international revenues to 20 per cent of its total revenue by 2011, doubling the number of its global sites in the next two years and opening 80 new restaurants outside the US by 2008.

Brinker generated US$3.9bn (£2.2bn, 3.2bn euro) in revenue in 2005 – an increase of almost 5 per cent on 2004. Details: www.brinker.com