Is Mr. Tony Macaroni in trouble?

The young waitress who seated me at an empty table for four just minutes prior is apologising profusely. Despite this Byres Road Italian restaurant only opening 10 minutes ago — notably, an hour later than the time declared by its signage — there’s not any food left, or at least that seems to be the case from what she’s saying. 

“We’ve no mussels, no seabass,” she tells me nervously. The list goes on; there’s no seafood at all, certainly no lobster. But they’re also short on the Italian classics: no pizza, no linguine and no paccheri. I settle for the ‘pollo risotto’. It’s not a great start for the relaunched flagship location of one of Scotland’s most well-known family chain restaurants: Tony Macaroni. 

Luckily, I’m not at Tony Macaroni 2.0 (yes, that’s the actual name) to review the food or the service. I’m here because over the past few months, the net seems to be closing in on the man behind the Mac: Giuseppe ‘Sep’ Marini, the hospitality multi-millionaire. Tony Macaroni, with its 13 locations across Scotland, is the crown jewel in his empire. With two other restaurant chains, Assaggini and Marini’s — also run by Sep Marini — now closed in the space of barely five years, it might be the only one left. But now Tony Mac’s looks to be teetering.

On 28 July, Edinburgh’s Court of Session appointed a provisional liquidator at  Marini’s main company Viva Italia Ltd, an extraordinary development that has capped off a succession of creditors seeking to recover cash over the last 12 months. At least six different petitioners have appealed to various courts since July 2025 — some twice — asking for Viva Italia to be liquidated so debts can be paid. These are serious players, including some of the UK’s biggest real estate companies, like British Land and Fidelity UK, and a firm belonging to the wife of a billionaire property giant. 

Meanwhile, The Bell has been mapping a wider picture that raises serious questions about the health of Marini’s business empire beyond Viva Italia. Multiple Tony Macaroni employees have alleged consistently late wages, with eventual payments bearing the name of a stream of different companies. We’ve heard claims that suppliers and contractors have gone unpaid. And that’s not even factoring in the shock closure of Fernhill, the private school run by a charity where Marini was one of only two directors. Fernhill left staff without final paychecks or redundancy money when it suddenly shut for good in June. 

How has Scotland’s most recognisable Italian chain reached this crunch point? And as Marini clearly attempts a relaunch, has Tony Mac’s bitten off more than it can chew?

Hi guys, Beth here! I've been following Sep Marini's complicated finances since we covered the sudden closure of Fernhill, the private school in Rutherglen he served as a director for. I couldn't have predicted how events would escalate though.

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'We have many challenges at the moment'

Michael Card spent 25 years working in hospitality before joining Tony Macaroni 2.0 at the beginning of June. He’d been recruited as a duty manager to help open the flagship on Byres Road. Tony Macaroni is a proper Scottish hospitality success story, expanding quickly after opening its first East Kilbride location in 2007. Eleven years later, the chain peaked with 19 restaurants across Scotland, four in Glasgow alone. The brand even sponsored Livingston F.C’s football stadium (nickname: ‘Spaghettihad’) for a decade until 2024.