DALLAS — Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc. said early Monday 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.

In April, Brinker, also parent to Chili’s Grill & Bar, said it was seeking at least $189 million for the chain, down from the earlier estimated value of $283 million.

At that point, same-store sales at Macaroni Grill restaurants (those open more than a year) were off 4.4 percent.

Brinker said in Monday’s news release its cash from operations would increase due to a tax benefit related to the sale. But it also said it would record a new charge of up to $47 million.

When it announced earnings earlier this month, the company said it would take a pre-tax charge of up to $60 million as it wrote down the value of its investment in the chain.

As part of the transaction, Brinker agreed to provide corporate support services for the new owner for a year with a one year extension option. Brinker also will be represented on the new owner’s board of directors.