Meh...they will get their lunch eaten by truly GOOD pizza chains like MODS.


http://www.qsrmagazine.com/exclusive...-s-new-chapter

When David Karam took the reins of Sbarro in 2013, he found himself with
a floundering brand. Fresh off a bankruptcy, the then€“New York€“based
brand was still beleaguered by a large amount of debt and was grasping
for stronger sales.

There seemed to be only one way forward.

€œThe logical path was ultimately to rebrand the concept as primarily an
authentic, freshly prepared, New York pizzeria that ultimately could
compete on the streets with the likes of Dominos and Papa Johns,€�
Karam says.

....

The boost in attention to menu quality coincides with a reduction in
menu quantity. Karam says that when the company restructured in earnest,
the leadership realized that Sbarros reputation as an Italian eatery
had led to a proliferation of menu items beyond the core offerings of
pizza and Stromboli.

€œThat may may have been more relevant in the 70s and 80s, but it
really became less relevant in the last couple of decades as the
consumer insisted upon and demanded more freshly prepared foods,€� Karam
says. €œWhat sold at Sbarro was€”and the way the consumer viewed that
brand was€”primarily pizza. €¦ And yet the company continued to invest a
lot of their operating focus on this broader line of Italian foods, like
lasagna, chicken Parmesan, etc.€�

This might sound like an all-too-familiar tale of a fast-food brand
reinventing itself as a fast casual, but Karam says it is quite the
opposite. Sbarro might be improving and promoting its quality, but the
brand plans to stay squarely within the quick-service space. At a time
when fast-casual pizza is booming and traditional delivery outfits like
Dominos are rebranding to include more menu items, Sbarro is taking the
road less traveled.

The final aspect of this sizeable makeover is store design. In October,
Sbarro will open its first-ever standalone store in the Clintonville
neighborhood of Columbus.

€œIts not that Sbarro is looking to exit malls€”really, nothing could be
further from the truth,€� Karam says. €œIts simply that we dont want
mall locations to represent the preponderance of all of our stores.€� He
adds that of the 900 malls in the U.S., Sbarro has locations in roughly
a third, leaving ample room for mall expansion.