Our Sbarro Experience

Sorry for the late post. This experience actually happened last Saturday, January 8. We ate at Sbarro - SM Fairview today thinking that it would help satisfy my craving for something salty. As we were looking at their menu and the food that they had on the counter, we couldn't help but get overwhelmed with the numerous servings of orders being made by other customers. So I really couldn’t choose which one I wanted. Luckily after pondering for a couple of minutes, I decided that since I've already tried most of their pizzas in my previous visits that I should opt for something different this time. I am a pasta lover as well as a pizza lover so I decided to just get a Meaty Lasagna instead while my husband decided to get a Sausage Stuffed Pizza. It was my first time to try out their lasagna while for my husband; he has ordered Sausage Stuffed Pizza in some of the Sbarro branches that we ate in before so obviously, he has high expectations. Unlike me, I limited mine to none because I didn't know what fate awaited me. As we finished ordering and waiting in line, we noticed that the place wasn't really filled with people. There were still some empty seats here and there but nonetheless there were still some people enjoying their meals. I also noticed something strange.

Sausage Stuffed Pizza (Actual Photo)

A lot of people may have ordered Meaty Lasagna and other pizza variants however, not all of them were able to finish their orders. I wondered if it was because of the huge servings being offered by the store or if it was because of something else. I didn’t let what I saw cloud my judgment or ruin my image of a perfect lasagna meal. With that being said, I decided to look for a spot to enjoy our own meals. The crew was very friendly and accommodating. The place looked very cozy and welcoming. We were lucky to at least have had a table with a soft couch since we all know that people love hogging soft couches in almost everywhere. As we prepared ourselves for the feast that was laid before us, I couldn't help but take a picture of the food that we were both about to devour. So after taking a few shots and giving thanks for our meals, it was chow time. The aroma of the food was delectable and mouth-watering. We immediately had our first bites. Our excited faces changed after having our first bites. My husband couldn't help but complain how hard his pizza slice was and that it was a bit difficult to chew while I, on the other hand, struggled to eat one of my most favorite pasta dishes in the world. Why you ask? Let me give my two cents. A lasagna is made of many layers of pasta. The upper half of it was cooked perfectly - it was soft and it felt just right when you chew it - while the bottom half of it felt like it was a bit chewy and hard. Sad to say it also did not live up to its name. I thought it was called Meaty Lasagna because it had at least a little more meat on it. Unfortunately, the only layer that had tiny bits of meat was it's lower half so technically, I ate a lasagna made of lots of pasta, lots of tomato sauce and lots of white cheese as it's topping. The last thing that disappointed me in the said dish was the fact that the meat in my lasagna was slightly undercooked which made my stomach ache after the meal. So those were the reasons why I never got to the point of finishing my meal up to the last morsel. We both were disappointed with the poor quality of products that were served to us earlier today but since we were in a hurry to eat and leave due to our busy schedules, we were not able to complain and have a word with the crew about the food that we ate.

Meaty Lasagna with Garlic Bread (Actual Photo)

I think it's only fair to say that I am not blaming a certain person for the poor quality of the meals that were served to us and that Sbarro is one of the most popular pizza and pasta store in the country however, that doesn't mean that every branch that they have should be complacent and just hang on to the brand’s name while not maintaining the quality of their products. I have eaten in several of their branches and I think that not all of their branches have retained the so called high quality of their dishes. However, I must admit that there are still some branches that have totally lived up to the brand name and that some of their products have been quite exceptional. My observation is simple. The crew may have had proper training but I think they might have lacked proper quality control. As a consumer, I demand to get the right equivalent for what I am paying for. I am not saying I am not going to eat there anymore or in their other branches because of the said incident. All I'm after is improvement which is why I wrote this blog. Not everybody may have had the same experience that I did but I am just here to say what my experience was like. Hopefully this entry will promote change instead of wrong assumptions, judgmental comments or hatred.

Today was a learning experience. I just realized that I may not be an actual chef or someone who works in the same industry but I love food and I am a self proclaimed foodie which is why I want to dedicate some of time to say something about my tasty adventures. Today’s meal may have failed me but I might just be wrong. Maybe I just didn’t like its taste but maybe others will and maybe we were just unlucky today because we experienced the situation that we were in earlier. Who knows? I just think it’s safe to say that in the end, I believe I shall eat there again one day with a new found hope and enthusiasm. I shall wait and observe and then, I will criticize again. I’m hoping for the best. Until next time, I shall continue my tasty adventures and write about them some more. Watch out sumptuous dishes! I am hungry for more!