Maria Florence Perez
08/22/2021 6:00 AM
Clarín.com
Gourmet
Updated 08/22/2021 6:00 AM
A passerby walking in a hurry gobbling down
an XXL slice of pizza folded in the middle
so the mozzarella and pepperoni won't spill.
That postcard that a priori seems New York, from this week will be possible on our mythical Corrientes avenue.
Between Libertad and Talcahuano streets
, a few meters from Güerrín and other emblematic local pizzerias,
this Thursday
the first Argentine branch of the famous American New York-style pizza chain, Sbarro,
opens its doors
.
It is a firm born in the Brooklyn neighborhood in 1956
.
Its
founders
,
Neapolitan immigrants Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro
, started with a grocery store and at the end of the sixties they opened a restaurant that became a pizzeria.
Sbarro, New York style, in the gastronomic pizza pole par excellence.
Photo: Maxi Failla.
“It is a leading brand in New York pizza.
They created the sale by slice
(N. of the R: portion) and today they already
have 1000 franchises around the world
with a projection of 70 openings per year globally ”, explains José Graneros, director of Sbarro Argentina.
Behind the arrival of the brand, is Desarrolladora Gastronómica, owner of Kentucky pizzerias and Dandy restaurants.
Sbarro Pizzeria, on Corrientes avenue.
Photo: Maxi Failla.
How is Sbarro's New York pizza
Round, in XXL size
(it has a 45 cm radius) and
with a thin, light and crispy dough
: this is the pizza that Sbarro brings to Argentina.
The flavors?
Cheese, Pepperoni, Meat delight (with meatballs, pepperoni and ham), Spinach, Margherita, Supreme (with pepperoni, peppers, olives, mushrooms and onion) and Chicken ranch (with onion and chicken).
The menu, which largely replicates the original, includes Roman pizzas
that are square (40 x 40 cm) and have more dough.
Also
strombolis
(a rolled and filled dough), salads and
desserts such
as cheesecake, chocolate mousse and tiramisu.
A local innovation: at the Corrientes branch there will be a bar with gin tonics and juleps, among other proposals.
Sbarro's story began in Brooklyn in 1956.
The bad records of its rivals
, Pizza Hut and Domino's Pizza, which landed in Argentina unsuccessfully,
do not worry Sbarro
.
“We achieved a very good gastronomic product.
Our pizzas are made daily on the premises
.
We use fresh products, vegetables and selected flours.
The experience we offer
is very different from other industrialized options
”, points out Graneros.
And although giant pizzas are no longer a novelty in our market, since it is a proposal offered by chains such as Hell's Pizza, from Sbarro they trust that
the local public will know how to appreciate the "original" stamp
of their proposal and
the good price ratio. -quality
.
The XXL pizzas -for five people- will cost between $ 750 and $ 1,150 and the combo portion (slice) + drink, between $ 210 and $ 240.
This is how pizza is prepared in Sbarro.
Photo: Maxi Failla.
What will the Sbarro store in Argentina be like
Even in times of pandemic and home office, when downtown Buenos Aires does not seem to be the most promising location for a new venture, Sbarro considers that
being part of Corrientes Avenue is a strategic decision
: “We had to be in the heart of the pizzerias, in the largest gastronomic pole of this product in the city ”.
Sbarro will
operate in a 400-square-meter building
, which once belonged to McDonald's.
In the setting there are
details that refer to Broadway and the theaters on Corrientes Avenue
, a conceptual bridge between Buenos Aires and New York.
The first floor will be more focused on consumption on the go and the second, with bars, tables and armchairs, will be the place to live this Argentine-style experience.
Posters of Broadway and Corrientes Avenue in Sbarro.
Photo: Maxi Failla
“
The service will have a format similar to fast food
, with order at the box and runners touring the room.
We are going to be in the delivery apps but we bet a lot on the local ”, anticipates the director of the Argentine subsidiary of the firm.
The objective is to open 35 franchises
in Belgrano, Palermo, Nuñez and the north, west and south of Greater Buenos Aires.
The first would be this same year, around 6 in 2022 and another 8 branches averaging 2023. And the plan is that some of those places have the
drive thru or “Auto-pizza” system
that in these latitudes popularized fast food houses .
Sbarro and his typical "slice".
Of course, the expansion plans are tied to the acceptance of the Italian-American formula in these latitudes.
Can the "super slice" rival the muzza and fugazzetta that have been eaten from "dorapa" decades ago on Corrientes Avenue?
Time will tell.
Look also
12 new pizzerias in Buenos Aires that are worth knowing
The 10 mistakes that can ruin your homemade pizza