Sbarro LLC, the chain of Italian eateries that emerged from its second bankruptcy last year, is betting that it can build a comeback by opening stand-alone pizzerias and reducing its reliance on declining mall traffic, which it blames for its chapter 11 filings, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. The goal is to return the 59-year-old brand to its roots as a maker of New York-style pizza, said Sbarro Chief Executive David Karam, positioning it to compete with much larger pizza chains such as Domino’s Pizza Inc. and Yum Brands Inc.’s Pizza Hut. The company plans to open the first four neighborhood pizza shops in the next few weeks in its home town of Columbus, Ohio. It plans possibly an additional hundred stand-alone Sbarros elsewhere in the next year or two, Karam said. The neighborhood shops will offer delivery and take-out in addition to dine-in seating. They will feature new menus that are similar to the ones that already have been rolled out at existing mall locations, which are now free of the lasagna, chicken parmesan and vegetable dishes executives say distracted from Sbarro’s pizza heritage.
