Better than a sharp stick in your eye

[Taro Toporific]

[floatl][/floatl]
US Pizza Chain Sbarro To Re-Enter Japan
Friday, January 30, 2009
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Sbarro Inc., a major U.S. pizza chain operator, will take another shot at the Japanese market, opening its first outlet as early as April in the Tokyo area, The Nikkei learned Friday...It entered Japan under a franchise system in 1997 but pulled out in 2001.
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http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/AC/TNKS/Nni20090130DA0J1303.htm

[Cortana]

It's not bad for fastfood pizza. I'll have a slice with pepperoni, corn, mayo and squid plz.

[omae mona]

I actually can't think of any places where you can just buy a single slice of pizza 'round here. I think these guys have a good opportunity.

[cot faulking]

The other pizza places just offer whole pizzas because they need to cover real estate cost, labor, and delivery costs. Hard to do by selling by the slice.

Pizza is just not that popular in Japan as it is overseas.

Someone should do an article on consumption speed of these pizzas at intl parties.

We all watched the Discovery or National Pornographic TV shows of wildlife. We got to see a pack of lions, hyenas, jackles, or coyotes ripping some animal apart leaving nothing after a few seconds.

That's what happens to pizzas at the intl parties. Quite the sight to see.

I'd like to keep my fingers and make sure not to get trampled, so it's a good idea to stand clear from the pizza mob. If you really have to get a slice send someone in for you.

At these parties pizzas are always pepperoni or something equally objectionable. No vegatarian pizzas. boo hoo...

MOD EDIT - Link removed due to irrelevance to thread.

[Ketou]

I wonder if the price doesn't have something to do with the lack of popularity...
Pizza here is a huge rip off.

[IkemenTommy]

Now if they start having these in a moving van, they would be directly competing against those Iranian taliban tacos vendors.

[baka tono]

Maybe they will focus on selling other menu items like salads and pasta besides pizza. Ok Im just hoping they will sell Greek salad, lasagna, and some black forest cake. If I want a slice of pizza I go to Costco.

[Yokohammer]

Those wagon-wheel size Costco pizzas are pretty good, aren't they!

Every once in a while the wife waltzes off to Costco and comes back with one of those ... for the two of us.
It's a lot of pizza, but somehow we manage.

[kusai Jijii]

No vegatarian pizzas. boo hoo...

MOD EDIT - Link removed due to irrelevance to thread.

Vegetarian Pizza? You really are pathetic.

[Tengu Kid]

Vegetarian Pizza? You really are pathetic.

I looked at his dating website...check this out:

"Japanese girls and gaikokujin 2,000 yen. Japanese guys 3,000 yen."

discriminate much?

[Yokohammer]

"Japanese girls and gaikokujin 2,000 yen. Japanese guys 3,000 yen."

discriminate much?

I can't help wondering what Arudou Debito would have to say about this.

My opinion: it sucks, in a really sleazy sort of way.

[Netherlander]

It's a lot of pizza, but somehow we manage.

Well said. Ever since Costco came to Japan, I eat pizza there. I always stuff myself there. Maybe I shouldn't go there?:D

[xenomorph42]

It's not bad for fastfood pizza. I'll have a slice with pepperoni, corn, mayo and squid plz.

Mayo...on a pizza??? Yuuucko, gross! Dude, you have been here waaaaaaaay too long. It's almost as bad as the time, my Japanese friend made a hotdog for me with Cabbage and Mayo, seriously, I almost body-slammed him!

But on a lighter note, hope they stay in Japan and expand their enterprises to Kyushu. We really need some great Chicken Parmesan and Lasagna! Haven't had a decent Lasagna in recent memory, last time I had one, it looked more like a flat pancake with heavy white cream sauce, trying to pass it off as the real thing.

[IkemenTommy]

Why did Sbarro go out of business the first time? Unless they know the reasons why they did and they have defined plans this time, they will most likely repeat the same mistake.

[Mike Oxlong]

I live near good pizza, so it's not an issue...

http://www.americanpizzaman.com/

[Doctor Stop]

Sbarro is in Japan, but only on base that is.

[xenomorph42]

I live near good pizza, so it's not an issue...

http://www.americanpizzaman.com/

Hope the pizza taste better than it looks.

[Number11]

I was just thinking last week that I'd love to have a pizza by the slice place in the food court of the shopping center near me. Add some nachos and chili-cheese dogs to make a giant 3 item menu!

It turns out that the Pizza-La near me sells a minimum of 500 pizzas every week. That's over 60 million yen in turnover per year. I've never been in the food business, but I've heard one of the fastest ways to make cash is the fast food business. Or go broke, maybe...

[Taro Toporific]

It turns out that the Pizza-La near me sells a minimum of 500 pizzas every week. That's over 60 million yen in turnover per year. I've never been in the food business, but I've heard one of the fastest ways to make cash is the fast food business. Or go broke, maybe...

I have ghost-written several MBA final projects on the topic for Hitachi executives attending Wharton, Tucks, and Harvard business schools.
The "executive" summary is as follows.
[INDENT]The top 3 profit margins in the fast-food business are:
[INDENT]1st-- a popcorn stand (76% profit margin)
2nd-- a doughnut shop (46% profit margin)
3rd-- pizza shop (32% profit margin)[/INDENT][/INDENT]

In terms of total volume of sales, a pizza shop is the best bet.

[Behan]

They should have given you the MBAs, Taro.

[IkemenTommy]

I have ghost-written several MBA final projects on the topic for Hitachi executives attending Wharton, Tucks, and Harvard business schools.
The "executive" summary is as follows.
[INDENT]The top 3 profit margins in the fast-food business are:
[INDENT]1st-- a popcorn stand (76% profit margin)
2nd-- a doughnut shop (46% profit margin)
3rd-- pizza shop (32% profit margin)[/INDENT][/INDENT]

In terms of total volume of sales, a pizza shop is the best bet.

How do ramen shops and taco-yaki stalls compare? I read somewhere that taco-yaki has a high ROI because of relatively low material cost and the low space demand.

[Number11]

I had figured about 1/3rd for material and 1/3rd for labor + fixed & variable overhead, so I guess I was close. Thanks for that info Taro.

Every food court has the same chain stores, but I think slice pizza (with the smell vented out toward people passing by) would be a nose and eye catcher. I know it isn't rocket science, but I think the timing is right... 500 yen including drink. You really make money on the soft drinks.