I was reviewing some of my old post, and I came
across my article about Sbarro’s, which filed chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011,
and recently, I read the chain closed about 150 more locations. At the time of
my last post, the great recession was to blame for the poor turnout in malls
across the country. Less people in the mall, less foot traffic in the food
courts, and consequently, less people eating at the food court king, Sbarro’s.
Now, the recession is over and Sbarro’s is still losing. Why?
Are people just plain tired of greasy pizza?
In an effort to provide healthier options, last year Sbarro’s introduced a 270 calories per slice pizza. I haven’t tried it yet, but
it looks okay. Then again, if I’m going for a slice a pizza, it doesn’t
have to be healthy. During the recession, chains like Five Guys have boomed,
and they’re not very health conscious at all!
You'll most likely find a Sbarro's branch in a food court or highway rest stop. I don't remember the last time that I visited my mall's food court. I usually try to avoid it; too crowded, too many preteens! I do remember going to the Cheesecake Factor. Even though the wait, this casual dining establishment and the alike have taken business away from court. The cafeteria-style displayed pizza is not as appetizing as "made to order" food that a Chipotle or Panera Bread has to offer. Maybe that's why Sbarrro's Inc. has created a new restaurant concept to take back a piece of the consumer pie!
Cucinova is Sbarro's new fast casual dining establishment. Patrons can order from their pizza menu, which names items such as "wild mushroom pizza" - portobello, shiitake, and button mushrooms drizzled with white truffle oil - to creating their own. There are also some neat, en vogue salad options like red and yellow roast beets with goat feta cheese. Fine dining meets affordable and convenient all on a pizza! Oh and did I mention they have craft beer on tap?? Currently, there are only two locations; I hope they expand quickly!
This won't be an automatic win for Sbarro's Inc because there are other fast casual pizza places, like Vapiano and others alike, so they'll need to find their niche.
As for Sbarro's, they decided to rebrand themselves, by adding "Brooklyn Fresh" at the end of their name. With the words "Brooklyn" and "Fresh" at the end, it has to be good too, even though it seems like there's in nothing new! These rebranded branches won't be at malls, so what happens to the original Sbarro's? Time will tell...
Cucinova is Sbarro's new fast casual dining establishment. Patrons can order from their pizza menu, which names items such as "wild mushroom pizza" - portobello, shiitake, and button mushrooms drizzled with white truffle oil - to creating their own. There are also some neat, en vogue salad options like red and yellow roast beets with goat feta cheese. Fine dining meets affordable and convenient all on a pizza! Oh and did I mention they have craft beer on tap?? Currently, there are only two locations; I hope they expand quickly!
This won't be an automatic win for Sbarro's Inc because there are other fast casual pizza places, like Vapiano and others alike, so they'll need to find their niche.
As for Sbarro's, they decided to rebrand themselves, by adding "Brooklyn Fresh" at the end of their name. With the words "Brooklyn" and "Fresh" at the end, it has to be good too, even though it seems like there's in nothing new! These rebranded branches won't be at malls, so what happens to the original Sbarro's? Time will tell...
