The Sbarro logo is like a piece of Italy transferred to America. The logo celebrates the homeland of the brand’s founders and the recipes that made the pizzeria so popular. The sign invites everyone who wants to feel the sunny Naples for a while.
Sbarro: Brand overview
Founded: | 1956 |
Founder: | Gennaro Sbarro, Carmela Sbarro |
Headquarters: | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
Website: | sbarro.com |
Sbarro is a private restaurant chain founded by native Italians whose crowning dish is pizza. It generates revenues of $180 million. The Sbarro logo can be seen on 600 hundred outlets in 28 countries.
The pizzeria began its history in New York City. Residents loved the savory cuisine of the immigrants from Naples, which allowed the Sbarro family to open several more locations. The main locations were major shopping malls and airports, which provided high foot traffic. The business flourished until MidOcean Partners bought it, followed by two bankruptcies. The company gradually recovered after 2015.
Meaning and History
When Sbarro first appeared, it used a plain text logo consisting of its name. The black and white lettering adorned the facade of the debut restaurant. In the 1970s, the logo became more complex and recognizable. It was supplemented with an image of the Italian flag, which appeared inside a rectangle with rounded corners. This figure served as a background for the black word “Sbarro.”
In the 1990s, the designers changed the shape of the tricolor, presenting it as three wavy stripes. And after a few years, the brand name was on the background of a triangular figure in the shape of a slice of pizza. A hint of the Italian flag was preserved only in the color scheme. In general, in the history of logos, you can trace the evolution from a simple verbal sign to multi-component emblems with national symbols.
What is Sbarro?
A chain of privately owned pizzerias opened by the Sbarro family. It franchises outlets in Europe, Asia, Australia, Russia, and Canada. The restaurants feature Italian menus and fast service.
1956 – 1970s
The first Salumeria was designed for workers. Going from or to a shift, they could buy a quick snack without being delayed. It took no more than 3 minutes to prepare.
Therefore, the company’s first logo is simple and uncomplicated: the name is in thin lowercase black letters.
However, a slight slant of the inscription showed the special pretensions of the young restaurant—the desire to raise its level. Only fresh products were used, the food was prepared carefully, and the service was of a high level. Therefore, even a customer of low social status felt he came into a worthy establishment where he was treated with special attention.
The distances between the letters hinted at comfort and the availability of tasty meals throughout the day.
1970s – 1997
In 1970 Sbarro began to expand and opened additional outlets. The second of them, like the first one, was located in the most populous district of New York, Brooklyn.
The place served very tasty dishes for Americans: cheeses, salami, and homemade sausages, as well as special pizza slices, which could be rolled up and eaten as a sandwich. Everything was prepared according to homemade recipes and attracted customers. Those who wanted to eat out deliberately looked for eateries with an Italian menu.
To make sure customers were not confused and went to their destination, the logo emphasized Italy, using the country’s flag in the image. It is placed on a rectangle with rounded corners, demonstrating loyalty and adjustment of Italian recipes to the preferences of American residents.
The large italicized inscription in the center was well remembered and showed the desire for development.
Overall, the logo epitomized the following:
- Italian food.
- The owners’ Italian roots.
- Love for the Motherland.
The sale of stock on the stock exchange facilitated the additional expansion.
1997 – 2015
Business for the pizzeria is going great. And the Sbarro family intends to buy its business again in full private ownership, which was done in 1999.
The logo of that time even more glorified Italy and its national cuisine through the company’s restaurants. A real flag was developing on the emblem. However, the name came first in this version, becoming larger and getting a white border. This demonstrated the scale of the business. About 800 restaurants were opened. The company was considered one of the largest employers in the country. This made the Sbarro name significant in the restaurant industry, as the logo showed.
2015 – today
After two bankruptcies, the company went through a major reorganization. Some locations closed, and the headquarters moved to Ohio. A new director, David Karam, set about revitalizing and rebooting the pizzerias. The first step was a major rebranding.
The logo finally featured that famous pizza slice that is universally loved. The pie has been sold in slices since its inception, indicated by the inscription “from New York since 1956” in the middle of the slice. So the choice of image is very iconic.
The love of Italy has been preserved on the new emblem in the form of an image border in green and red tones. The white stripe of the flag is the white coloring inside the slice. The lack of ingredients shows that customers fill their pizza by choosing their favorite toppings.
The company name appears in large print in the center of the pie slice. The capital letters communicate that the franchise intends to regain its position in the market and is not going to give up – the firm plans to build on Sbarro’s past fame and popularity.
By 2022, the company did manage to regain its position partially. Mostly by placing outlets in convenience stores, which continued to be visited even during the pandemic.
Font and Colors
The logo’s main colors are red, green, white, and black. In the interpretation of the country’s flag, they conveyed love, hope, and faith. In the emblem, their meaning does not change. The Sbarro family pinned all their hopes on the success of their business. In addition to this, the colors carry additional meaning.
- Red is passion, typical of the Italians. They approach the business, putting all their energy into it. Love for delicious food. Speed of service. Cooking pizza in a hot oven.
- Green – the naturalness of the products. Simple ingredients fuse to create a dance of flavor. Green is also the development and growth of an enterprise.
- White is perfect for purity and transparency in cooking. Pizzerias have an open kitchen, and everyone can watch the cooking process of their order. Symbolizes the color and dough with which the chef works.
- Black – growth and confident position in the market.
The font of the inscription is Bahnschrift.
Sbarro color codes
Lust | Hex color: | #eb0011 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 235 0 17 | |
CMYK: | 0 100 93 8 | |
Pantone: | PMS Bright Red C |
Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
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RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |
Kelly Green | Hex color: | #47af18 |
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RGB: | 71 175 24 | |
CMYK: | 59 0 86 31 | |
Pantone: | PMS 802 C |