The Sbarro news is even better than we thought, especially for pizza fans in west Wichita
On Friday, I shared the news that Sbarro, a pizza chain that was popular in mall food courts starting in the 1980s, planned to open inside three Wichita Kwik Shop stores
I wasn’t able to reach Sbarro representatives then, but I heard back this week, and the news is even better than expected for fans of nostalgia by the slice — especially those who live on the west side of Wichita.
Sbarro actually plans to open inside five Kwik Shop locations in Wichita. In addition to the ones I told you about last week — at 514 S. Oliver, 4811 S. Seneca and 4802 E. 21st St. N. — Sbarro will also open inside the Kwik Shops at 3750 N. Maize Road (37th and Maize) and at 7107 W. 37th St. North (37th and Ridge).
The five new Sbarro locations will serve pizza by the slice or as a whole pie plus stromboli, breadsticks and wings. The menus also will offer breakfast pizza and breakfast stromboli made with things like eggs, cheese and bacon.
Customers will be able to stop in and get pizza, order it in advance for pickup or even have it delivered by visiting order.sbarro.com.
All the locations should be open by spring, said a spokeswoman with Sbarro. A manager at the store at Kellogg and Oliver said theirs should be open by mid-March. Construction starts this week at 21st and Oliver.
Salina is also getting a Sbarro-in-a-Kwik-Shop this spring.
Sbarro, based in New York, gained popularity in shopping malls and airports in the 1980s but faced bankruptcy in 2011 and again in 2014. Wichita’s last Sbarro in Towne East closed around that time. Today, the chain has around 600 locations in 24 countries. It’s now focusing its expansion on convenience stores and travel plazas.
Sbarro first entered the Wichita market in 1983, opening a location inside Towne East Square. The Towne West Square Sbarro followed in 1985.
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 10:42 AM.
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