Sbarro Inc. (Melville, N.Y.) has announced development agreements to open franchise Italian eateries in Mexico and Egypt.
Sbarro will partner with the Italian Restaurant Developers de Mexico and Egypt's Sewedy Foods to open more than 50 new Sbarro restaurants during the next five years, including 30 locations in Mexico and 20 restaurants in Egypt.
While the Mexican and Egyptian menus will mirror Sbarro's 200-item menu in the United States, each franchiser said it will make adjustments to suit the likes and cultural and religious needs of its customers.
As part of the agreement with Italian Restaurant Developers de Mexico, Sbarro will open nine Mexican franchises by the end of 2006, with 21 more anticipated openings in the next five years. During the early stages of expansion, the restaurants will be concentrated in Mexico City and its surrounding metropolitan areas, with growth into other cities planned for the following years. While there will be two freestanding Mexican Sbarro franchises, the majority of the restaurants will be housed in shopping malls, including Plaza Satelite, the nation's most popular shopping mall, and Antara Polanco, a high-end mall slated to open in March 2006. The Mexican Sbarro menu will be tropicalized to include chorizo and other authentic Mexican flavors.
Sbarro and Sewedy Foods expect to open six locations in Egypt by the end of 2006, with plans for 14 additional restaurants over the next five years. The Sbarro eateries will all be located in Cairo, with the exception of a single restaurant located in the Red Sea tourist area. In keeping with the Islamic faith, the Egypt-based Sbarro restaurants will not use pork in any recipes or serve alcoholic beverages.
Currently, Sbarro has 1000 restaurants in 30 counties across the globe, including in the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Canada, Russia and Israel.