THE PIZZA CHAIN Sbarro has filed for bankruptcy, suggesting there is either a limit to the American appetite for cheese-covered fiberglass or we are in far worse straits than we thought. With more than 1,000 outlets, this ubiquitous chain has been stuffing the intestinal ductwork of Americans for more than 40 years. If it were to close, we might have to resort to asphalt shingles with sauce and mozzarella or the Army Corps of Engineers might have to come up with something, perhaps the mass distrubution of used tires sprinkled with oregano. Writing at Slate, Justin Peters examines the state of the pizza chain. Sbarro has tried everything to stay afloat short of selling an edible product. He writes:

For a long time, you could make a lot of money selling terrible pizza. For most people, a bad slice of pizza is better than no pizza at all, and Sbarro has banked on this for decades. But commodity prices have risen dramatically during the last few years, and profits have similarly declined. In order to survive in this tough climate, pizza joints are being forced to innovate—something they’re not used to doing. Pizza Hut is emphasizing its “WingStreet” brand and stuffing cheese into crusts with reckless abandon; Domino’s is flogging its chicken, too, while doubling down on ingredient quality.

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