Why So Many People Can't Stand Sbarro

Sbarro holds the unfortunate position of being one of the least-liked fast food chains in the U.S., and that's not a new opinion. A 2014 Consumer Reports subscriber survey ranked Sbarro last among 65 chains, with a lack of freshness and value among the reasons. Complaints over the years range from food quality to authenticity. A search online brings up pages of problems. Sbarro has declared bankruptcy twice and closed many locations, and at least part of that can be blamed on how customers perceive the chain.

But the chain has its defenders, and some issues may not actually be based on true preferences. Some complaints are from people just going along with what everyone else says; others are frankly bizarre because they could apply to just about every pizza chain in existence. Often found these days at food courts inside malls and airports, Sbarro has lasted through a somewhat bumpy history. Decades ago, the chain even survived scrutiny from the U.S. government about potential mob ties (later documentation implied that the chain was not connected to the mob and in fact had to pay a lot of "protection" money to stay in business). Along with those bankruptcies, the pandemic, and now social media amplifying all these customer complaints, you'd think it wouldn't be facing a bright future. Yet it continues to do business, selling pizza in whole pies and by the slice along with other dishes, so it must be doing something right, right? Here's a look at why so many people can't stand Sbarro.

This one may be Sbarro's fault. It likes to play up its fresh foods, but that leads a lot of people to expect fresh food on the scale of a gourmet restaurant or market deli. Sbarro is neither; it's fast food pizza plus a few comfort dishes that are already made and waiting in a steam table by the register. Many of the choices are ones that you could prepare at home, like baked ziti and spaghetti, rather than special dishes that you might consider too complicated to make on a regular basis. People who've never been there get lured in by the marketing and walk up only to find pizza that needs to be reheated.

Sbarro's model of selling pre-made food instead of food cooked on the spot is one of the things that's been blamed for its declining sales. The drop in mall foot traffic is obviously one of the bigger reasons for Sbarro's decline, but remember that people still go to malls and still eat in food courts. While some Sbarro locations may have lines of people waiting to order at meal time, they aren't getting the volume of customers that some other food court chains are getting. That implies that they're not offering what people want when those people have a choice of where to go to get fast food. 

We could get into a whole debate about Italian versus Italian-American food here, but suffice it to say that what you find at Sbarro is just not Italian food. It's Italian-American food, and even then, you'll find people who argue about that. However, people who don't know any better keep calling it Italian, which means they're sorely disappointed when they end up with something that doesn't look like what you'd get in a "real" Italian restaurant. Or they end up on the wrong side of someone who refuses to call Sbarro Italian.  

It is true that Sbarro was started by an Italian family living in Brooklyn. The menu at Sbarro in those early days looked a lot different. It started out as a deli featuring a few Italian favorites and only later did it start serving pizza by the slice to attract hungry workers in the neighborhood. So the restaurant chain definitely has ties to Italy. But the food now is squarely in the Italian-American space at best, and the chain isn't doing itself any favors by using some sloppy decorating; one Redditor found a sign in misspelled French at one location, wishing customers "Bon Appetite." Maybe that's supposed to be a play on the word "appetite," but "bon" at an Italian-American place? Non va bene.

Sugar is often a crucial ingredient in tomato sauces for pasta and, of course, pizza. A pinch of sugar balances out the acidity of the tomatoes, and it should be seen as something that helps you adjust the taste of the sauce to your liking. Apparently someone at Sbarro has a sweet tooth because one of the common complaints about the chain is that the sauce is just way too sweet.

This is going to be a matter of taste, obviously. People who don't like sweet foods are going to detect too much sugar in the sauce and let it affect their view of the entire chain. That's reasonable because no one wants to spend money at a place where the food doesn't meet their personal preferences. For people who like sweet stuff, the sauce may be fantastic. Many dishes in the Philippines, for example, are known for being very, very sweet, and Sbarro, with more than 50 locations there, is well-liked by many. It's not a huge stretch to think that a lot of the customers in the Philippines may be just fine with how sweet the sauce is. 

A mall food court is not gourmet food, no matter what anyone claims; it's a spot where several outlets compete for your business with fast, cheap food to sustain you while you're shopping. Sbarro did its part to help transform mall food courts by offering more of a meal. Even back in the heyday of shopping malls in the 1980s, the food court was full of restaurants, Sbarro included, where you and your friends could get food for a couple of bucks.

With that in mind, people expecting to get cheap pizza at Sbarro now are in for a shock. As of 2024, its online menu lists a two-slice special (plus drink) for almost $14. Anecdotal reports suggest the in-person price at some locations may be closer to $15. While some of the rise in cost could be associated with pandemic supply problems and changes in suppliers, these are not what many consider cheap prices. People expect cheaper pizza in malls, and Sbarro's prices aren't cutting it.

An episode that aired during the second season of "The Office" had Michael Scott visiting the Big Apple and saying Sbarro was his favorite place to get a slice of real New York pizza. No one in their right mind wants to be like Scott, so if he considers the chain to be authentic New York pizza, some people are going to trash Sbarro to separate themselves from the fictional character. The comedy bit has become a thing over the years as fans of the show channel their inner Michael Scott and recreate the scene outside the restaurant. The brief scene is also a meme. 

Scott's behavior is supposed to be completely out of touch with the rest of humanity. He represents all that you're supposed to avoid. Having him wax poetic about Sbarro is surely not a good sign to people who already have doubts about visiting a Sbarro. Unfortunately for Sbarro, that means more negative publicity.

One interesting reason why some people can't stand Sbarro is somewhat nostalgic: The pizza it serves now just doesn't compare to the way they remember it. When asked about this, many people online have agreed that the pizza at Sbarro was actually much better in the 1990s. One comment in particular stood out from a Redditor who claimed one of their relatives was an executive with Sbarro from the 1990s until 2011 when Sbarro filed for bankruptcy the first time. "I grew up eating unlimited, free Sbarro. Quality of ingredients has gone way downhill," they said.

As Sbarro was rebuilding itself after bankruptcy, it did indeed change its pizza recipe. News reports in 2012 announced the company would join the fast casual trend by having each location make its own tomato sauce from San Marzano tomatoes and shred its own cheese rather than use prepackaged products. The chain also boosted the amount of cheese on its pizzas and brought in ovens with an open flame to quicken cook times. Improvements to other foods were implemented as well. So, it's not that Sbarro is bad. It's just that what people get now is different from what they got before. While some may not mind the changes and may even like them, others are not open to the shift in taste.

One of the complaints associated with Sbarro pizza is the amount of grease on each slice. Many claim the slices are just too greasy and that this is the defining characteristic of the chain's pizza that may sit around awhile before individual slices are served. In fact, Sbarro finished in the bottom third in a Mashed ranking of nearly two dozen popular pizza chains. 

Yet others point out that these complaints are without merit because Sbarro isn't the only pizza place to have greasy slices. If you've ever gotten a New York-style slice and had to blot the grease off with a napkin, you did so either without complaint or with a lot of oohs and aahs at the feast before you. You can't complain about Sbarro's slices being greasy. Pizza is greasy food, and the reddish-golden oil dripping off the slice in your hand is a feature, not a bug. If anything, the grease should make Sbarro's pizza seem more normal.

You're in a shopping mall and have five minutes to find something to eat at the food court. You want pizza. Sbarro is a logical choice in this case. Compare that to being out around town somewhere and craving a slice of pizza. You've probably got options for several solid pizza joints plus other restaurants that have pizza on the menu and offer service that is just as quick. Many will tell you that Sbarro is not the logical choice in that case.

Many areas (not just in New York or Chicago) have a local pizza parlor or joint that serves up neighborhood favorites, so the thought of bypassing one of those and heading to a mall for Sbarro seems unimaginable. This is another reason Sbarro draws so much ire, at least from people living near one; in their eyes, you gain no advantage in getting pizza there when you have options that are just as good elsewhere.

Fast food companies may claim that their customers are drawn to the taste of their food, but let's be honest: Fast food is a lot about convenience and cost. And while the restaurant industry is dealing with inflation and complaints about meals becoming too expensive, there's no doubt that you have plenty of options when you need meaty and carby food right now.

But that's one of the problems with Sbarro. With all the options, it's often not among the top picks of consumers. The fact that it's fast food is sometimes mentioned as a primary reason people don't like it. Unfortunately for Sbarro, a 2017 survey in Nation's Restaurant News backed up the idea that a majority of people weren't going there for the food. About 34% of people responding to the customer loyalty survey who'd been to the chain said their last visit was based on the brand and food. The rest had gone to Sbarro out of convenience.

The cooks at Sbarro, or any other restaurant for that matter, aren't clones who do everything the same way all the time. As with any other chain, some of the cooks at Sbarro locations are really good at what they do and produce some tasty pizza. Other cooks aren't as good, and some are just outright bad, based on online reviews. According to more than 2,700 reviews on Yelp, Sbarro has an average rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars across its 264 U.S. locations.

Many of the complaints center on the food. " I will never have Sbarro again after this. Yeah, it was that bad," one diner wrote on Yelp. Another Yelp reviewer said: "Well, you would think it would be hard to mess up something as generic and widespread as Sbarros, but they did. We had to throw ours away. They literally must leave this pizza out for days. Absolutely disgusting." Other locations fared better among consumers. "I always visit this restaurant when I'm in New York. The spaghetti and meatballs are to die for. Pepperoni pizza is lovely also," said one diner on Tripadvisor.

Do you like Sbarro's food? If you do, you're brave to admit it publicly as people, especially New Yorkers, will question your choices in pizza. Why would you eat there? Why aren't you going somewhere else as recommended by everyone around you? What's wrong with you? In other words, some avoid Sbarro based solely on peer pressure. It's not for nothing that posts defending Sbarro in Reddit often appear in the Unpopular Opinion subreddit. "I feel like Sbarro has become the Nickelback of pizza chains and everyone loves to trash it like it's the worst thing on the planet. It's actually pretty good and the smell is amazing," one commenter posted. "Yes I love Sbarro! I'm not sure why it gets hate, but living in the south for some reason people despise NY style pizza. Imo it's the best kind," another said.  

Sometimes the pressure has a basis in reality. If you're in New York, which is known for a certain style of pizza, and you're literally surrounded by local pizza joints, why would you choose generic pizza from a chain like Sbarro? One such comment inadvertently explained why people might go there, however. The person compared choosing Sbarro in New York City to visiting Burger King when surrounded by gourmet burger places. But think about it — it's not out of the ordinary to go to Burger King if you really have a craving for a Whopper. Some just may have a craving for Sbarro pizza. 

Finally, a problem many have with Sbarro is that it's not original, neither in what it offers nor in how it makes its pizzas. For example, one diner complained about ordering a specialty type of pizza only to get essentially the chain's basic pizza baked in a differently shaped pan, with no detectable difference in taste. Yes, it's a place that allows you to get some baked ziti in a shopping mall, but nothing about the food stands out in a way that would elevate it over places.

Sbarro is just kind of there; no associated characters or marketing slogans stand out for Sbarro, though it does have the recognizable green, red, and white stripes on its sign. On one hand, there's nothing really wrong with that because people still know where to find it. Go to a shopping mall, and chances are there's a line at Sbarro. But it also leaves less of an impression that the chain is offering something you can't get anywhere else. This is definitely a matter of perception as others have admitted that, while the food was nothing to write home about, it was perfectly decent and satisfying when they wanted something to eat. Marketing wasn't their concern, and honestly, Sbarro may not need special marketing. After all, it seems to be getting publicity just through these constant debates. What more could a company ask for?