Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc. said early today it has reached a deal to sell an 80 percent stake in its Romano’s Macaroni Grill chain to a San Francisco-based private equity firm.

The move, announced before the stock market opened, comes one year after Brinker said it would try to sell the troubled brand, which offered a new take on Italian favorites but struggled to find a strong customer base.

Under the agreement with Mac Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of Golden Gate Capital, Brinker will receive $131.5 million in cash, of which $6 million will be contributed to Mac Acquisition.

Brinker will own 19.9 percent of the brand. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2008.

Brinker also owns Chili’s Grill & Bar.