Sbarro

Sbarro is a New York-style pizza and Italian restaurant chain that operates approximately 650 locations globally as of November 2025. The company was founded in 1956 by Nino and Carmela Sbarro as a single pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York, and has grown into an international quick-service restaurant brand known for its New York-style pizza, stromboli, and Italian-American cuisine.

For decades, Sbarro built its reputation in high-traffic venues like airports, shopping malls, and travel centers, where it maintained a strong market presence. Over the past five years, the company has fundamentally shifted its real estate strategy. Since 2022, Sbarro has opened more than 200 new locations and moved aggressively into alternative venue types including convenience stores, universities, military bases, hospitals, and casinos. This venue diversification reflects a strategic response to changing consumer traffic patterns and represents a meaningful expansion of where the brand can operate profitably.

International growth has accelerated during this period as well. Recent openings span Colombia, Panama, Poland, Denmark, and North Macedonia, signaling the company's commitment to geographic expansion beyond its traditional North American base. The appointment of Mario Bojorquez as President of North America in 2025 underscores this growth trajectory. Bojorquez brings 11 years of experience from Restaurant Brands International, where he led Asia-Pacific operations for multiple brands and oversaw significant expansion infrastructure.

Sbarro operates through both company-owned and franchised units, a model that enables rapid scaling across diverse property types and geographies. The company's infrastructure investments and focus on franchisee profitability suggest a well-capitalized expansion strategy positioned for continued growth across multiple markets and venue formats.