Sbarro Logo PNG
The Sbarro logo is like a piece of Italy transferred to America. The logo celebrates the brand’s founders’ homeland and the recipes that made the pizzeria so popular. The sign invites everyone who wants to feel sunny Naples for a while.
Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro founded Sbarro after moving from Naples to the United States in 1956 with their sons Joe, Mario, and Anthony. Gennaro and his eldest son worked in other delicatessens, while Carmela sewed doll clothes to save money. In 1959, the family opened a small Italian salumeria in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, serving sandwiches, pasta, and Carmela’s cheesecakes.
Customers wanted pizza most, especially workers eating near the counter rather than taking food home. The family opened a second location focused on pizza, and by 1964, operated four restaurants in North Brooklyn. Gennaro initially avoided franchising to keep control within the family. One wholesaler supplied the products, and Carmela still baked the cheesecakes.
A turning point came in 1970, when Sbarro opened in the Kings Plaza mall in Brooklyn. The format matched the rise of American shopping malls: hot pizza slices, fast service, and steady foot traffic. In 1977, the restaurants were incorporated as Sbarro, Inc., and franchising began. In 1985, the company listed on the American Stock Exchange and raised $8 million for expansion. The chain grew from 97 locations to 220 by 1987.
In 1990, Sbarro entered the European market with a location in England. By the mid-1990s, it had expanded to 800 restaurants across Canada, Australia, Kuwait, Israel, France, and the Philippines. Unlike Pizza Hut and Domino’s, Sbarro relied on malls and airports rather than delivery. The family took the company private in 1999 and sold it to MidOcean Partners in 2007 for $450 million. After bankruptcies in 2011 and 2014, Sbarro moved its headquarters to Columbus, Ohio, closed weak stores, and shifted toward airports, campuses, casinos, and service areas.
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 set within a rounded-corner rectangle. This figure served as a background for the black word “Sbarro.”
In the 1990s, the designers changed the strict color scheme, presenting it as three wavy stripes. A few years later, the brand name was set against a triangular shape resembling a pizza slice. Only the color scheme preserved a hint of the Italian flag. Overall, logo history shows an evolution from simple verbal signs to multi-component emblems featuring 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. On the way to or from a shift, they could buy a quick snack without delay. 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 in the inscription revealed the young restaurant’s special pretensions, its desire to raise its level. Only fresh products were used, the food was prepared carefully, and the service was high-quality. Therefore, even a customer of low social status felt he had entered a worthy establishment where he was given special attention.
The spacing between the letters suggested comfort and the availability of tasty meals throughout the day.
1970s – 1997
In 1970, Sbarro began to expand and opened additional outlets. The second, like the first, was located in New York’s most populous district, Brooklyn.
The place served tasty dishes for Americans: cheeses, salami, and homemade sausages, as well as special pizza slices that could be rolled up and eaten like a sandwich. Everything was prepared using homemade recipes, which attracted customers. Those who wanted to eat out deliberately sought eateries with Italian menus.
To keep customers oriented and help them reach their destination, the logo emphasized Italy by featuring the country’s flag. It is set on a rectangular shape with rounded corners, symbolizing loyalty and the adaptation of Italian recipes to American residents’ preferences.
The large, italicized inscription in the center was memorable and reflected a desire for growth.
Overall, the logo epitomized the following:
- Italian food.
- The owners’ Italian roots.
- Love for the Motherland.
Selling stock on the stock exchange facilitated further expansion.
1997 – 2015
The pizzeria business is going great. And the Sbarro family intends to buy the business back into full private ownership, as it was in 1999.
That logo 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,b became larger, and gained a white border. This demonstrated the business’s scale. About 800 restaurants were opened. The company became one of the country’s largest employers. 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 company moved its headquarters to Ohio. 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, as the inscription “from New York since 1956” on the slice indicates. So the choice of image is very iconic.
The love of Italy is preserved in the new emblem through a green-and-red border. The white stripe of the flag is the white coloring inside the slice. The lack of ingredients indicates that customers customize their pizzas by choosing their favorite toppings.
The company name appears in large print in the center of the pie slice. The capital letters convey that the franchise intends to regain its market position and will not give up; the firm plans to build on Sbarro’s past fame and popularity.
By 2022, the company had partially regained its position, mostly by placing outlets in convenience stores, which remained popular even during the pandemic.
Font and Colors
The logo’s main colors are red, green, white, and black. The country’s flag conveys love, hope, and faith. The emblem carries the same meanings. The Sbarro family pinned all their hopes on the business’s success. The colors also carry additional meaning.
- Red is passion, typical of the Italians. They approach the business with all their energy. Love for delicious food. Speed of service. Cooking pizza in a hot oven.
- Green is the naturalness of the products. Simple ingredients fuse to create a dance of flavor. Green also represents the enterprise’s development and growth.
- White represents purity and transparency in cooking. Pizzerias have open kitchens, so everyone can watch their order being cooked. Symbolizes the color and dough the chef works with.
- Black symbolizes growth and a confident market position.
The inscription uses the Bahnschrift font.