Decadent American Pizza

Sbarro Inc. (Melville, N.Y.) has announced the opening of its 30th pizza location in Moscow, in the arcade of the G.U.M. department store across Red Square from Lenin's Tomb.

The purveyor of pizza and other Italian quick food also recently opened a unit in Moscow's Gallery railway station on Leningradsky Prospekt, and yet another will soon be opened at the city's Domodedova Airport.

All three of the new restaurants serve a full line of pizza and other Italian food, as well as a few Russian favorites such as borscht. All are food court types with 1000 square feet of space.

Eleven of Sbarro's other Moscow units are of food court designs, 10 are of an in-line design with 2000 square feet and six are high street designs with up to 5000 square feet. Sbarro placed its first eatery in Moscow five years ago.

“We see great potential in today's Russia for those with entrepreneurial ambitions,” said Gennaro Sbarro, president of franchising/licensing for the family-run company. “Here, as everywhere else in the world where we have restaurants, we strive to provide the best support and finest training available to help the businesses thrive.”

The franchisee of the Moscow units was recently awarded the Sbarro Global Operator of the Year award, recognition for the highest cumulative ratings for growth, QSC audits (quality, service, cleanliness), unit volume, design and construction and innovations in menu and operation.

Sbarro, which owns and operates 644 units and franchises another 352 around the world, opened 70 units in the U.S. in 2002 and 60 outlets internationally in 2002.