Fired Up to stress Carino's grillFired Up to stress Carino's grill

AUSTIN Texas Fired Up Inc., parent of the 170-unit casual-dining Johnny Carino's Country Italian chain, is repositioning all its restaurants under the new name of Carino's Italian Grill.

The repositioning showcases the open kitchen and the open-flame grill featured in each unit. The "Italian Meets the Grill" focus is enhanced by new menu items that include grilled chicken diavolo, cedar-planked salmon and Sicilian fire sticks, an appetizer of Italian sausage, chopped grilled chicken, bacon, Roma tomatoes, jalapenos and creamy Italian cheeses, rolled in a tomato basil tortilla and served with ranch and spicy marinara sauces.

The effort is accompanied the chain's first national advertising campaign, which highlights the message that Carino's is "not your garden-variety Italian." The marketing includes television commercials, billboards and print. Carino's has units in 24 states.

Additionally, Carino's Italian Grill has partnered with Joe Gibbs Racing to sponsor 19-year-old driver Brad Coleman and the No. 18 Carino's Italian Grill Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series for 15 races this season.

"Carino's Italian Grill reflects the energy and excitement of the open-flame grill that engages guests and makes the dining experience so much fun," said Norman Abdallah, president and chief executive of Fired Up. "Carino's is at heart Italian. We started by perfecting the classics; now we've opened up the grill."