Tony Macaroni

Tony Macaroni is a Scottish restaurant brand specialising in Italian cuisine. Its first Scottish restaurant opened in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, in 2007, after which the chain expanded to locations across Scotland. The brand is associated with the slogan “vive per mangiare,” meaning “live to eat,” and presents itself as a casual, accessible Italian dining concept rather than as a fine-dining specialist. The chain forms part of a wider Scottish hospitality portfolio managed by Viva Italia, a group with interests spanning restaurants, events and fashion. Tony Macaroni is positioned alongside two other Scottish food brands: Nardini’s, an ice-cream parlour in Largs, North Ayrshire, and Marini’s, a chain of fish-and-chip shops. These sister brands give the group a broader presence across casual dining, dessert and takeaway-oriented foodservice. Tony Macaroni’s operating footprint has been concentrated in Scotland. The brand had 13 restaurant locations as of 2025, reflecting a regional expansion strategy rather than a nationwide or international rollout. Its restaurants provide a branded setting for Italian-inspired dining and are supported by the recognition generated through local hospitality operations and sports sponsorship. The brand also has a notable association with Livingston Football Club. In August 2013, Tony Macaroni agreed a three-year kit sponsorship with the club. In 2015, Livingston’s Almondvale Stadium was renamed Tony Macaroni Arena, giving the restaurant chain prominent local naming-rights exposure. The sponsorship connected the brand with a major Scottish community and sporting institution while reinforcing its visibility in the central-belt market. Tony Macaroni remains an active Scottish restaurant brand. Publicly available reference material provides limited detail about its corporate ownership, leadership, financial performance and individual menu ranges, so those areas are not stated here beyond the documented relationship with Viva Italia and its sister brands.

Tony Macaroni emerged as a Scottish Italian-restaurant brand in the late 2000s. Its first restaurant opened in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, in 2007. From that initial location, the business developed into a multi-site chain serving Italian cuisine in a casual restaurant format. Expansion remained focused on Scotland, where the brand built a regional footprint rather than pursuing broad international development. The brand operates within the Viva Italia hospitality group. Viva Italia’s interests extend beyond Tony Macaroni to dining, events and fashion. Tony Macaroni is also described as a sister company of Nardini’s, the long-established ice-cream parlour in Largs, North Ayrshire, and Marini’s, a Scottish chain of fish-and-chip shops. This relationship places Tony Macaroni within a group of recognisable Scottish food and hospitality businesses with different concepts and customer occasions. A significant stage in Tony Macaroni’s public profile came through sport sponsorship. In August 2013, Livingston Football Club announced a three-year kit sponsorship deal with the restaurant chain. The partnership was subsequently extended into venue naming rights: in 2015, the club’s Almondvale Stadium was renamed Tony Macaroni Arena. The arrangement gave Tony Macaroni repeated exposure through football branding and tied the restaurant name to a prominent venue in West Lothian. By 2025, the chain was reported to have 13 restaurant locations across Scotland. Its public identity continues to centre on Italian food, the “vive per mangiare” slogan and a regional Scottish hospitality presence. Available reference material does not establish a precise founding company, founder, detailed ownership structure, executive roster, financial results or a complete chronology of site openings. Those details therefore remain unspecified.

• 2025

  Scottish chain reaches 13 locations

  [1]Tony Macaronien.wikipedia.org

  Tony Macaroni is reported as operating 13 restaurant locations across Scotland.

• 2015

  Almondvale Stadium takes the Tony Macaroni Arena name

  [1]Tony Macaronien.wikipedia.org

  Livingston’s Almondvale Stadium is renamed Tony Macaroni Arena as part of the brand’s sponsorship relationship with the club.

• 2013

  Livingston Football Club kit sponsorship begins

  [1]Tony Macaronien.wikipedia.org

  Livingston Football Club announces a three-year kit sponsorship agreement with Tony Macaroni.

• 2007

  First restaurant opens in East Kilbride

  [1]Tony Macaronien.wikipedia.org

  Tony Macaroni opens its first Scottish restaurant in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire.

A Scottish casual Italian restaurant chain focused on accessible, social dining and regional brand visibility.

• Restaurant service · 2007

  Italian restaurant dining

  Tony Macaroni’s core offering is casual Italian dining delivered through a branded restaurant network in Scotland. The concept is centred on Italian cuisine and social, accessible restaurant occasions, with the brand slogan “vive per mangiare” expressing its food-led identity. Public reference material does not provide a complete standardised menu, so individual dishes and menu architecture are not catalogued here.

• 2015Tony Macaroni Arena naming rights

  Scotland

  Tony Macaroni obtained prominent venue naming exposure through Livingston Football Club’s renaming of Almondvale Stadium as Tony Macaroni Arena.

  Outcome. The naming association strengthened the brand’s visibility in Scottish football and the West Lothian community.

  Source
• 2013Livingston Football Club kit sponsorship

  Scotland

  Tony Macaroni entered a three-year kit sponsorship partnership with Livingston Football Club, placing the restaurant brand in the club’s football sponsorship and matchday visibility programmes.

  Outcome. The relationship developed into stadium naming rights, with Almondvale Stadium renamed Tony Macaroni Arena in 2015.

  Source

• 2015

  Extend football sponsorship into stadium naming rightsStrategy

  Background

  Following its Livingston Football Club kit sponsorship, Tony Macaroni was associated with the renaming of Almondvale Stadium.

  Action taken

  The venue adopted the Tony Macaroni Arena name.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement gave Tony Macaroni sustained brand exposure through a Scottish football venue.

  Source

1. 1Tony Macaronien.wikipedia.org