The chain was founded on December 26, 1986, by John Charles "Johnny" Carrabba III and his uncle Damian Mandola.

After a considerable enlargement of the restaurant, it was renamed "Rosie Carrabba's" in honor of Damian's sister Rose.

[2][3] 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.

[7] In 2021 Bloomin Brands bought out the founders of Carrabba’s Italian Grill in a royalty termination agreement.

[9] These recipes were featured on the PBS cooking show Cucina Sicilia, which is hosted by Carrabba and Mandola.