PIZZA and pasta ­restaurant chain Tony Macaroni is serving up a major jobs boost.

Bosses plan to recruit 300 new staff by opening six new eateries - half in the Glasgow area - over the next 18 months after securing a £1.5million bank loan.

The cash deal will ­enable Sep Marini, the managing director of Tony Macaroni, to fund his bold plans to expand his chain across Scotland's central belt.

He is to launch new outlets at the busy Braehead shopping mall, Cumbernauld in North ­Lanarkshire and the market town of Lanark in South Lanarkshire.

Another is planned for the university town of St Andrew's while two are scheduled to open in Edinburgh.

The businessman is also co-owner of the iconic Nardini's ice cream parlours, but a spokeswoman insisted the six-venue expansion only centres on the Tony Macaroni group.

Mr Marini said: "Over the years we've established ourselves as Scotland's leading independently-owned Italian restaurant and ice-cream brand people have grown to love and trust.

"Continued investment and development of the businesses has enabled us to offer more and more people the authentic taste of Tony Macaroni and Nardini's throughout the central belt of Scotland.

"The next 18 months will be an exciting time for the company as we create an even greater choice of venues in new and existing areas, as well as creating a significant number of new jobs."

He launched his chain seven years ago and has established outlets in Glasgow's Merchant City and Byres Road as well as East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, Motherwell and Livingston.

David Murray, a relationship director at the Bank of Scotland, welcomes the growth in business.

He said: "This rapidly expanding chain of popular catering venues has already made a tremendous contribution to Scotland's food and drink sector."

linzi.watson@eveningtimes.co.uk