Sbarro has named Mario Bojorquez as president, North America, the quick-service pizza company announced on Friday. Bojorquez spent the past 11 years at Restaurant Brands International, parent to Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons, and Firehouse Subs, in its Asia-Pacific region.
“[Bojorquez] is a talented restaurant executive with a proven track record of results and a solid understanding of franchising in our industry,” said David Karam, Sbarro CEO and chairman of the board, in a statement. “He is a great cultural fit for Sbarro. His strong people focus and industry expertise will complement the experience and skills of our leadership team as we continue to grow and strengthen our brand.”
Bojorquez’s experience at RBI included four years as head of Asia-Pacific operations for Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons, and Firehouse Subs. Before that, Bojorquez served as the head of marketing for Burger King Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Before joining RBI, Mario was a restaurant entrepreneur, co-founding a sandwich concept in Miami.
“I am honored to be joining an iconic brand with a rich legacy of serving handmade, freshly prepared, quality products. I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to work with [Karam] and the team to help continue growing Sbarro by supporting our company operators and franchisees and bringing the best food to our guests; every shift, every day,” Bojorquez said in a statement. “Despite already being the leader in the impulse pizza category, there is a tremendous space to continue scaling our footprint, and I am looking forward to accelerating our restaurant development, supporting our operations, and strengthening our brand.”
Sbarro has opened over 200 restaurants in the past two years and plans to open more than 100 net new restaurants in 2024. Most of those units will be outside malls and airports since the brand has been expanding its reach to venues like convenience stores, travel centers, universities, military bases, hospitals, and casinos.