Sbarro to open 15 restaurants in Indian state of Maharashtra; first unit to open in Mumbai this month

Nevin Barich

MELVILLE, New York , March 15, 2012 (press release) – Sbarro, the nation's leading quick-service Italian Restaurant Company, today announced a franchise agreement to open 15 restaurants in the state of Maharashtra. Upper Crust Foods Pvt. Ltd. will develop and operate the restaurants with the first unit to open in Mumbai this month.

Over the past six years, Sbarro has announced international agreements with leading franchisees to open restaurants spanning across the globe, including locations in Europe, Russia, Asia, India, the Middle East, South and Central America and Caribbean. The grand opening marks the first Sbarro to open in Mumbai, a fast developing market that is home to an increasing number of metropolitan areas, malls and entertainment centers.

"We could not be more pleased to partner with Rashmi and Manoj Balwani to expand Sbarro's presence in India. Now is a time of tremendous growth and opportunity in the region and Rashmi and Manoj bring deep expertise in India's burgeoning QSR sector and a proven track record," said Jim Greco, president and CEO of Sbarro. "Over the past six years, Sbarro has significantly increased its international footprint, a credit to the depth and breadth of expertise of our International team and our focus on serving as a true partner to our franchisees."

While the new restaurants' menu will be created from over 200 Sbarro recipes that consumers enjoy Worldwide, certain adjustments will be made to suit the cultural and religious customs of India.

Speaking on the occasion of the impending launch, Ms. Rashmi Balwani, MD of Upper Crust Foods Pvt. Ltd., said, "It is a moment of great pride for me to be opening the first outlet of my favorite Italian food chain in Mumbai. I used to be a regular at Sbarro during my days in New York, and being their master franchisee for Maharashtra is a wonderful feeling. I am sure that with the quality of the cooking and the ingredients, Sbarro's first outlet in Chembur neighborhood will become a favorite among the people living in and around these areas, including Navi Mumbai. I also look forward to expanding the franchise, both in Mumbai and then in other parts of Maharashtra."

About Sbarro

Based in Melville, New York, Sbarro is the world's leading Italian quick service restaurant concept and largest shopping mall-focused restaurant concept in the world. Sbarro has more than 1,000 restaurants in more than 40 countries, and features a menu of popular Italian food, including pizza, a selection of pasta dishes and other hot and cold Italian entrees, salads, sandwiches, drinks and desserts. Additional information is available at http://www.sbarro.com/.

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