Curefoods plans to open around 50 Sbarro outlets in the next, three years starting with Karnataka.
Cloud kitchen company Curefoods has acquired South India franchise rights for the US-based pizza chain Sbarro. As part of Curefoods, Sbarro will now actively expand in South India. Curefoods plans to open around 50 Sbarro outlets in the next three years, starting with Karnataka.
“The expansion will consist of a mix of walk-in outlets and cloud kitchens to ensure maximum customer reach. As a result of this partnership, the first Curefoods-owned Sbarro outlet is set to open in Bengaluru within the next quarter,” the company said in an announcement on Thursday.
Sbarro is an American pizza chain—currently present in 630 locations across 28 countries.
The Sbarro brand first entered India in 2012. The chain’s master franchise rights in India are operated by Upper Crust Foods Pvt. Ltd.
The addition will complement Curefoods’ multi-brand multi-kitchen model, helping them expand their customer base in the pizza category and further grow their production capacity, the start-up said.
Pizza, as a category, enjoys immense popularity in India—with large global and homegrown brands such as Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Oven Story among others.
“A New York-style pizza offering is a great addition overall to our portfolio at Curefoods. By working with an international brand such as Sbarro, we aim to leverage our expertise in scale and technology to amplify its presence further. This partnership will not only strengthen our presence in the pizza category but also help us serve a globally recognised and loved legacy pizza brand to the country,” said Gokul Kandhi, chief business officer at Curefoods.
Curefoods, which started off in 2020, operates brands such as EatFit, Great Indian Khichdi, Aligarh House Biryani, and CakeZone. It has over 135 kitchens that cater to over 10 cuisines, across 12 cities in India.
Last month, the start-up, floated by Cure.fit co-founder Ankit Nagori, announced $62 million in fundraising from existing investors Iron Pillar, Chiratae Ventures, Sixteenth Street Capital, Accel Partners and Binny Bansal.
Curefoods had recently merged with Mumbai-based Maverix. Post-merger, it became the second-largest cloud kitchen player in India in terms of footprint with the largest manufacturing capability in the fresh food space.
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