The History of Sbarro

In 1956, Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro, who had immigrated to the U.S. from Naples, Italy, opened Sbarro's Salumeria in the neighborhood of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, New York. However, it wasn’t a dedicated pizza joint, but rather an Italian deli. There, Carmela, also known as Mama Sbarro, began making slices of pizza, which became popular with workers in the area. The demand increased so much that the Sbarros opened a second location just for pizza. In 1970, a Sbarro opened in Kings Plaza Shopping Center in Brooklyn; it was the first of many mall locations for the fledgling chain. By selling pizza slices to mall shoppers at the height of the shopping mall years in the U.S., Sbarro became incredibly successful and widespread. The chain soon became synonymous with mall culture and made New York-style pizza accessible to many Americans for the first time. In the late 1980s, Sbarro opened roughly 70 restaurants per year, and in the 1990s, the chain expanded into Europe and England. However, as malls began to decline and the Great Recession took hold, Sbarro struggled, but managed to restructure after declaring bankruptcy. The chain refocused on its roots by streamlining its menu and also ventured into new locations, including convenience stores and hospitals. Today, Sbarro’s comeback continues, ensuring that the iconic mall pizza can still be enjoyed by today’s youth.